


Bubble Tea

by Crazyloststar



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Meet-Cute, Romantic Comedy, Strangers to Lovers, romance writer!gladio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:21:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyloststar/pseuds/Crazyloststar
Summary: “I think looking for love is one of the greatest quests we can go on.”Prompto rolled to sit with his side pressed to the back of the couch, still clutching the pillow. “Haveyouever had a love worth dying for?” He looked up at Gladio with a glint in his eyes, his freckles standing out from the glow of the tv screen.He adjusted to mimic the way Prompto sat. “Not yet, but I wouldn't mind having it. You?”Prompto shook his head a little. “Love seems like so...much. And I’m scared I’ll fuck up every time.”Gladio reached out and his hand could just hit Prompto’s knee that was curled up on the couch. “You'll never find it though if you never try, right?”Prompto visibly swallowed. “Dang, you really are a romance writer.”***Written for the 2020 Promptio Big Bang
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum
Comments: 25
Kudos: 70
Collections: Promptio Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! This is my entry for the Promptio Big Bang! I'm super excited to share this work. I was paired with the lovely [jordan](https://twitter.com/november_comes), who created an amazing piece for this story. 
> 
> Shout out to Cor, for being an awesome editor and giving me great feedback that helped me kick this thing into better shape. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis was trying to give Gladio a way out. He could pull out of this deal and not write this story, and go back to writing his viscount series that basically wrote itself these days. 
> 
> But that wasn’t what Gladio really wanted to do. He wanted something different. But apparently his brain hadn’t gotten the memo they were shifting gears and he was careening towards a brick wall.

Gladio woke up about a minute before his alarm. He didn’t open his eyes though, just laid there as the warm light of his lamp became brighter. The sounds of birds chirping were the signal to him that it was eight in the morning. He opened his eyes and yawned, stretching and popping different joints.

At least it was cardio day. He could do with a bit of a break. He shuffled out of bed and found his lounge sweats and pulled them on. He walked to his window and drew open the shades to reveal his balcony, filled with his babies…

Plants.

His morning ritual was to step out onto his patio and greet each one, water the ones that needed it, make sure there weren’t any bugs. It was cathartic, and a slow way to help him wake up before the day got busy.

Back inside, he splashed some water on his face in the bathroom, and tied his hair up in a messy bun. It was Tuesday, which meant he had a long day of writing ahead of him after three days off. More and more lately, he had really needed the extended weekend. He got his coffee and eggs and toast and put on some calming music while he ate. He watched out the window from his dining room, observing as people went about their morning routines. Walking dogs, jogging, yard work, sending kids off to school.

He sat there long after he had finished his coffee and meal, a bit lost in the moment. His phone made a loud ping sound that startled him. He checked it.

 _Get to writing!_ The alarm was called.

Gladio cleared his throat. He collected his dishes and was about to drop them in the sink when he saw the dishes from the night before already there. He didn’t want an even bigger mess to clean up later, so he went about rinsing everything and putting the dishes in the dishwasher. At first, he hadn’t thought he needed one since he lived alone but after the first few times of not having to wash dishes he understood.

He made a quick tour of the house to collect other dishes - a glass of water that had been sitting on his bathroom sink for a few days, A plate next to his computer from the snack he had the day before, his afternoon coffee cup in the living room.

With the kitchen cleaned and the dishwasher going, he stretched.

His phone alarm went off again. He checked it.

 _Hey are you writing_ ?

Past Gladio was really getting on his nerves.

Gladio went into his office and got his notes together, and the computer booted up. He sank into his chair and sighed. Tuesdays were slowly becoming like Mondays. Though he would punch anyone who tried to send him any sort of ‘case of the Mondays’ joke. He didn’t work in an office for many reasons - office jokes like that being one of them.

Computer on, he settled in and opened the word doc from the week before titled _Some Kind of Book._

Ya, it was.

He hadn’t made much progress last week. And even what he had done, he cringed at how forced it sounded. He was a romance writer; everything he did was supposed to ooze romance and sexy. So far, he had done a whole lotta nothing in that department.

The temptation to delete all the words he had written was strong. But he convinced himself to leave it. He could always fix it later in editing. For now, he needed to try to keep the story going, to try to save the sinking ship that was his inspiration and creativity.

He switched on his music player and started up his EDM playlist. He felt he needed the extra energy to get his fingers moving.

The music went on and he stared at the screen.

He tapped his fingers to the beat of the music.

The words on the page blurred a little.

Gladio groaned in frustration. Nothing. Nada. His brain was empty, void of anything useful. He fell back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling.

His phone rang - an actual call, not another alarm, thank fuck. He sat up and looked at the caller ID. The name made him curse under his breath, but he answered anyway.

“Iggy, hey.”

He stood up and walked out of the office to his bedroom, so he could step out onto the patio with his plants.

“Hello Gladio.” Iggy’s greeting held something he knew he should fear behind it, but Gladio had to hope this would go well. “I’m sure you know why I’m calling.”

“You miss me?”

He could hear Iggy’s eye roll, but it was worth it to try to ease things a little. “Your manuscripts, to be more specific.”

“Ya, uh. I’m working on it, swear. When have I ever been late?”

Ignis hummed. “True, but you have also never been this slow to send in any progress. Is everything alright?”

“Ya, just. You know. You guys wanted me to try something a little different so I. Am.”

There was the sound of papers shuffling. Ignis was clearly at the publishing office. “If you don’t think you can do that, you know we can discuss options.”

“No, it’s - it’s fine. I’m excited to stretch my wings a little.”

Ignis snorted. “Must you find a way to refer to your tattoo every day?”

“I do what I can.”

“Anyways, if you want to continue with this story then we need to see progress by next week. Anything later is cutting it too close and we will need to go to another writer.”

Gladio leaned against the patio railing. “Got it, don’t worry. I’m gonna blow your minds.”

“I do hope so. I know Noct is also rooting for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Let me know if I can help at all.”

“Will do. Talk later.”

“Until then.”

Gladio hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket. Ignis was trying to give him a way out. He could pull out of this deal and not write this story, and go back to writing his viscount series that basically wrote itself these days.

But that wasn’t what Gladio really wanted to do. He wanted something different. But apparently his brain hadn’t gotten the memo they were shifting gears and he was careening towards a brick wall.

It wasn’t even something so different. Not really. His publisher had recently acquired a smaller publishing house that was renowned for their LGBTQ works, and Gladio had been offered the chance to write something geared towards that market. He got why, the business parts of it. He was one of the top billed authors in his genre, let alone his publisher. So getting his name on a book would help cement their addition.

And Gladio liked a challenge. Couldn’t be too hard, right?

Apparently, it was. Because it had been a month since he got the offer and he still had jack all to show for his work. He had complete freedom over what to write. His only requirement was that it fit under the umbrella. _It_ was exactly the kind of environment he thrived in.

So why was his mind just drawing a blank?

His phone buzzed. He checked it - he had a text from Noctis.

_Maybe try getting outside your house to write. Be more social._

That was rich, coming from Noctis. He was the son and heir of Caelum Publishing. He and Iggy and Gladio had become a kind of unit since they all met.

And maybe the kid was onto something. He had written so many of his previous stories in his office - getting lost for hours at a time typing the speed of light. Maybe his brain just couldn't reconcile that he wasn’t actually working on his cheesy period romances. Well okay, he would probably still write a cheesy period romance, who was he kidding.

He pushed off the railing and went into the house. He changed into a soft shirt and joggers, and sat back at the computer. A quick google search showed him several cafes within walking distance.

He found one called Bubble Tea - a ridiculous name - but the inside was his aesthetic, all wooden panels and minimalistic decor, the logo a deer with large antlers. He prepared his map to guide him, and grabbed his messenger bag and laptop, his notebook, and wallet.

The place was about a twenty-minute walk and it was refreshing, to be outside this time of day. He had spent the last month bemoaning this project locked away in his house when he was very much an outdoors kinda guy.

He followed the directions on his phone. The sky was blue, there was a nice breeze that counteracted the warmth of the sun. He was already feeling lighter.

Once he got to the place, he paused at the door. The crowd inside was clearly mostly college students, which wasn’t a problem, they would only maybe be two years younger than him, but still, college kids could still be rowdy and punk asses. He hoped maybe the ones who went here were too focused on studying to be assholes.

Once inside he took in the crowd. Most people were lost in their notebooks, heads down and headphones on. Okay, this was okay. He found a small table in the corner and dropped his bag, took out his wallet and went to order.

“Hiya!” A cute blonde greeted him with a wide smile and sparkling green eyes. “What’ll it be?”

“Uh,” he stared up at the menu. It definitely wasn’t like other cafes he had been in, none of the usual flavors, so he just went for what seemed familiar. “I’ll do the brown sugar milk tea, please.”

The girl hummed. Her name tag read Cindy. “For here or to go?”

“Here.”

“Regular boba or flavored?” She motioned to a placard on the counter where he saw a whole slew of options he hadn’t even seen.

“I’ll stick with brown sugar.” He tried to act like he knew what he was doing and kept a confident smile.

“Alrighty!” Cindy plugged it in as he handed over his money, and then went back to his seat. He started to get set up while waiting for his drink. Cindy brought it over, still all smiles. She winked as she set it down in front of him.

“Enjoy!”

“Thanks…”

He took a long sip and chewed on a few of the little pearls. He stared once more at his empty word doc.

Inspiration would come soon. It had to. He had to be able to do this.

So he sat there.

Finished his drink.

Got some water.

Then it was lunch time, so he ordered some crispy tofu.

He speared each block with his little toothpick with more vigor as he went through the bag.

After three hours, he still had _nothing_.

This was it; he was finished. He couldn’t write anything new; he couldn't challenge himself. He was washed up. Time to retire.

He let out one long sigh and rested back against his chair. He leaned back enough to tip it onto the two back legs. He closed his eyes and let the sounds of the cafe wash over him. The music playing, the door chimes when someone entered. Cindy greeting someone. Rinse, repeat.

“Good afternoon, Chocobo!” he heard Cindy shout. “You’re late today.”

Gladio cracked one eye open to see who she was talking to. From his position he couldn't see the person, just the back of Cindy's head. Her blonde curls bounced under her hat. The person ordered and walked away and into Gladio’s view -

He leaned forward and the chair hit the ground with a thud. The guy turned and looked at him, and in that moment, Gladio experienced every romance cliché he’d ever written in his entire life.

Time slowed. Their eyes met. Soft lips parted. Gladio’s pulse quickened.

The moment was fleeting. The guy turned and found a spot in the opposite corner, but still within Gladio’s sights. He fidgeted and tried to pretend he was working, staring at his laptop and totally not over the edge of the monitor to stare.

“Chocobo!”

The guy laughed and hopped up to get his drink, chatting up Cindy a little. Gladio felt his heart twist - maybe they were together? Or he was just a regular because this was close to the local college.

Gladio tried not to stare but it was hard not to. Chocobo, as he was so far called, obviously got the name because of his hair. It was a bright yellow and stuck up in the back. He wore ripped black jeans, a shirt, and red and black flannel over. He was cute as fuck. Gladio could even see freckles across his face from where he sat. He wondered what they looked like up close.

Fuck.

Chocobo was almost immediately focused on something on his own laptop, tongue sticking out a little. Gladio almost groaned out loud at just how much he wanted. To talk to him.

He looked at his word doc. He thought more. What would he do? What would he say? How…

His fingers rested over his keyboard.

He started to type. Almost instantly he knew. He was back. The words flowed effortlessly. He came up for air a few times to stretch, pop his back or neck, give his wrist a break. But a couple of hours later Chocobo was packing up and he realized the time.

He looked at the doc. He had written over three thousand words. In one sitting.

He grinned at the screen. He was back in it. Fuck ya.

He looked up. Chocobo had vanished. He masked his disappointment as he got his own stuff put away. He needed to get home and keep the energy going, but in a better seat for sure.

At home he took a mental break to run on his treadmill, but the whole time he thought about Chocobo, about his novel. About Chocobo _in_ his novel. By the time he finished his run he almost didn’t want to shower, the thoughts were coming to him so fast he worried he would forget.

He threw some leftovers in the microwave and sat at his desk. He was nearly bouncing with excitement to get back into it, which was so refreshing compared to the last month. This was the zone he thrived in, why he loved writing so much.

He picked up where he left off in the cafe and wrote until his alarm yelled at him to go to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You should indulge once in a while. You only live once.” He winked. 
> 
> Chocobo blushed. His cheeks reddened under his freckles and he wrinkled his nose so he squinted his eyes and holy shit, Gladio wanted so many different things in that moment.

Waking up the next day was easier than it had been the last few weeks. Gladio made sure to check on the plants, but all other routines were out the window. He brushed his teeth and got dressed - jeans and a tight tank, with a light jacket over. He headed out immediately for the cafe, a bag slung over his shoulder and a new sense of determination firing through his veins. He wanted to write - like go hours writing, the ideas were coming to him so vividly.

Once at Bubble Tea, he found his corner spot open once again and got situated. This time he took it slow looking at the menu and caught there were also regular coffee drinks available **.** So he ordered a macchiato and a fancy looking toast with cream cheese and berries. When it was ready, he settled in and looked over what he had written the night before. He had the start of an idea, but he usually wanted to have an outline he could send to Ignis for a quick spot check. Perhaps he could work on that.

He pulled out his notebook and a pen, and tapped it against the paper as he sipped his drink. He had headphones with him, but he hadn’t put them in yet - every time the door opened even though it was a distraction, he would glance up to see who it was.

To see if Chocobo walked in.

Gladio had no way to know or assume that the guy would show up again. But he hoped. He looked like a college student, so it seemed not too far-fetched to assume he would come back. Plus, he clearly knew the staff.

After half an hour of barely any work on the outline because Gladio kept looking up at the door, he had to put music on so he could focus.

The story he had started the day before began to come to him as he worked on the outline. An athletic trainer and a young fresh-faced athlete, two people with their own hopes and dreams and how they crash into each other.

After about an hour Gladio had a very rough skeleton written down that he was proud of. It had all the right beats - the ups and downs and the blooming romance in-between. He smiled and drank the last of his coffee, now cold.

He switched to water and was about to start typing up the outline so he could send it in to Iggy when he heard through the music --

“Hey Chocobutt!”

He snapped his head up fast to catch the smile Chocobo had on his face as he walked up to the counter. Gladio pulled his headphones out. He looked at his empty plate and cup.

He grabbed both and stood, heading over to the drop off dirty plates. To do so, he had to walk past the register. He moved slowly, behind Chocobo, and then set down the dishes. On the way back, Cindy was waving to Chocobo after he paid.

“That toast was delicious,” Gladio spoke low, leaning towards the counter a little. Chocobo had just started to turn away when he spoke, and he paused and looked back at Gladio.

“Thank you kindly! It is one of our specialties.”

“What’d you get?”

Gladio had to stop himself from getting giddy at hearing Chocobo’s voice directed at him. He looked up the menu for an excuse to compose himself. “The Berry Toast.”

“Oh man, that’s my fave. But my metabolism says otherwise.” He tapped his hand against his stomach and Gladio followed the movement. He forced himself not to stare and instead met Chocobo’s eyes.

“You should indulge once in a while. You only live once.” He winked.

Chocobo _blushed_. His cheeks reddened under his freckles and he wrinkled his nose so he squinted his eyes and holy shit, Gladio wanted so many different things in that moment.

“Here’s your coffee, darling.” Cindy slid a drink over and Chocobo pulled his stare away from Gladio to get it.

“You’re a lifesaver,” he said and gave Gladio a small smile and a nod before he headed over to the table in the corner directly across from him.

Gladio couldn't stop smiling when he sat back down. He put his headphones in, but he did glance up over the top of his laptop screen. Chocobo was getting himself set up, and glanced up to meet Gladio.

Gladio didn’t flinch. But he did look away, settling in to start typing up the outline. He wanted to write more as soon as possible.

* * *

That night his phone rang as he was cooking dinner. He looked down at the phone on the counter.

He washed his hands and quickly dried them before picking it up. “Iggy, what’s up?”

“I reviewed your outline today.”

Gladio leaned against the counter. “That was fast.”

“Yes well, we are on a tight deadline. I assumed it would be helpful to get back to you as soon as possible.”

Gladio hummed. “So, what do you think?”

Ignis paused, but Gladio knew it was more likely because he was reading his notes. “It’s quite brilliant. It still feels like a story you would write, but this is very exciting even in outline.”

Gladio smiled.

“I can hear your smile. But really, this is quite good. How much have you written already?”

“I hit ten tonight.”

It was quiet for a beat. “Pardon?”

“You heard me.”

“You haven't written like that since…”

“Since _Wings_ , ya I know.”

“Is there…”

Gladio guessed what he was going to ask but he let Ignis finish.

“Is there someone then?”

Gladio understood why Iggy asked that. The last time he had written this fast was for one of his first books.

And he had been in his first serious relationship in a long time.

“What, don’t think I could do this on my own merit?” He tried to joke, but something got stuck a bit in his throat.

“You know I do, Gladio. It’s just very out of nowhere when two days ago you had no idea whatsoever what you would be doing.”

Gladio sighed. “There’s no one.”

Ignis sighed but it was his ‘I don't believe you’ sigh, and Gladio figured though there was no point in sharing the truth. There wasn't anyone, but there was someone. But not how Ignis thought. It wasn't important.

“Well, I am very excited. I’ll share this with Noct in the morning now that I’ve reviewed, but I don’t believe there will be any issues.”

“Great, thanks Iggy.”

“Talk to you then.”

“Later.”

Gladio hung up and went back to cooking his dinner. Once ready, he settled in on his couch to catch some trashy tv. It was his reward for getting so much accomplished that day. He had to give himself a break, despite how much he itched to keep writing. It wouldn't help him to hurt his wrists in order to get through the story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Name?” The barista asked and Gladio nearly ran into a table and chairs as Chocobo answered.
> 
> “Prompto.”
> 
> _Prompto._

Gladio followed his new routine, once again at Bubble Tea for coffee and breakfast. Chocobo had come on the first day around one in the afternoon, and the day before around noon. Gladio took his time getting through his breakfast. His outline was pretty solid, and Ignis had sent over only a few notes first thing that morning. He anticipated there could be some more notes from Noctis, but usually he just agreed with whatever Ignis suggested.

He checked the time as he finished his breakfast - it was nearing noon. He also noted there was someone else working the counter that morning, not Cindy.

A thought hit Gladio - what if Cindy and Chocobo were dating? It would explain their familiarity, and if he didn't show up today, it could be because Cindy was off work and -

Gladio stopped himself. He was getting way too riled up over someone he didn’t even know, nor had any claim to.

It had been a very long time since he felt this way about someone, and it was unnerving and disorienting. He didn't even know this guys’ name, but something about him --

The door swung open and Gladio nearly let out a _thank the gods_ because it was Chocobo who walked in, backpack once again slung over his shoulder. Today he wore a brightly colored button up, and the backpack pulled on the material enough to expose some of his collarbone.

Gladio was totally staring and he couldn’t stop himself.

He walked up to the counter. Gladio held his breath as he rose and made to throw away some of his trash.

“Name?” The barista asked and Gladio nearly ran into a table and chairs as Chocobo answered.

“Prompto.”

 _Prompto_ .

Gladio discarded his trash and when he turned, Prompto sat in the same corner as before. He was setting up his laptop when Gladio sat back down at his own table. Their eyes met for a second when Prompto’s order was called, but then after that he had his headphones on and his head ducked down, focused on his work.

Gladio spent another four hours writing in that spot.

* * *

Friday morning was usually a day off for Gladio. In the past he would use the time to go run errands instead of trying to fight crowds on weekends. But this time around, he wanted to _write._ The story flowed from his fingertips at the cafe, and at night when he was home. It was riveting, inspiring, and he wanted more.

He needed to see his muse again.

When Gladio walked into the cafe though, he realized other things about Fridays. Apparently more people had time to go out, in a college town.

The place was packed. Gladio’s usual spot was pretty much the only comfortable place left. He sped forward to claim it and looked around again. Prompto was nowhere to be seen, and once more the panic about him not showing came crawling up to the forefront. And once again, Gladio felt silly about it.

He ordered a dirty chai and tried to convince himself to go ahead and get comfortable. Whether or not Prompto showed up he needed to get caught up on his work.

But every time the door opened; he couldn't help but look up. Eventually he had to put on his headphones and angle his body so he couldn't look up every time and break his concentration. After about an hour with little progress made, a break in the music allowed him to hear the door open. Cindy wasn't the barista on shift so he wouldn't have a warning, but something made him look up this time.

Prompto entered. He looked a little tired today, in a baggy hoodie and a beanie, and glasses.

Oh gods, the _glasses_.

Prompto looked around the cafe. Gladio once again tried to make like he was reading his screen, taking a sip of his now cold drink. But he couldn't help looking up as Prompto's eyes landed on Gladio.

Gladio looked to his screen, unsure he had avoided getting found out. Could he ask Prompto to sit with him? Would that be weird?

Ripped black jeans came into his view. “Hey.”

Gladio almost spilled his drink onto his keyboard. There stood Prompto, in front of him, looking at him, _talking to him_.

“Hey,” was all Gladio could say back.

Prompto’s grip on his backpack strap was tight, and with his other hand he was clearly fidgeting with the edge of his hoodie. “It’s pretty crowded today…”

Gladio couldn't believe what was happening, and he didn’t want to assume what Prompto was asking but... “You wanna…?” he motioned to the seat across from him.

Prompto looked relieved and even more nervous at that. “If you don’t mind, I won't be loud, I swear. I just need to get through this paper and submit it while on the cafe Wi-Fi. I trust it more than the dorms’.”

That comment Gladio tucked away. “It's no trouble, I'm getting some work done also.”

“Oh man, oh man,” Prompto brought his palms together and bowed forward, hands at his head. “Thank you so much, I owe you my life.”

“It’s nothing, don't mention it.” Gladio pulled his laptop towards him to make some room for Prompto’s. He could finally get a look at the stickers that littered the top of Prompto’s - they looked like mostly band stickers, some cactuars, tonberries, and Kenny the Crow.

Prompto cowered a little. “Do you mind watching my stuff while I get a drink?”

“Course.”

Prompto smiled and hopped away. Gladio let out a long breath and looked at his keyboard. He had to be cool about this, he didn't want to seem creepy. Prompto was just trying to get some work done, just like Gladio. Sitting with him didn't mean anything.

“Back!” Prompto appeared again, and slid a plate between them both - it was the same toast Gladio had eaten the day before. “Thought we could share? My treat for invading your space.”

Oh, Gladio was so, so done for. “You didn't have to.”

“Well, you did say it was amazing right?”

Gladio smiled. “It is. Here.”

He cut it in half and picked up one piece, while Prompto picked up the other. They cheered by touching the toast edge together and took a bite at the same time. They both made sounds of appreciation, though Gladio tried not to choke at hearing Prompto.

But other than that, they were both just strangers trying to get work done. Prompto typed away furiously after he finished his part of the toast, and chugged an iced boba drink that looked mostly made of sugar.

Being so close to Prompto was exciting, and Gladio found that his creativity was renewed, and words flew from his fingertips. After a few hours, Prompto let out a long sigh and collapsed against the back of his seat.

“You good?” Gladio managed to say.

“Ya, finished, thank fuck.” He closed the laptop dramatically and put everything away. “Gotta head to work now.”

Gladio wanted to ask so many questions. But considering Prompto hadn’t broached any sort of conversation while they sat there, he wasn't sure if that would be okay, so he opted to hold.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Prompto slung his backpack on, smiled, and was out.

Gladio tapped his fingers on the table. He decided to pack up and head home to keep working.

He wondered...hoped it would be crowded at Bubble Tea again the next time he went in.

* * *

As much as Gladio wanted to go into the cafe again on Saturday, really it wouldn't be conducive to anything he needed. He had a strict no writing on the weekends rule and he kinda already broke that by working the day before. He learned early in his career that he had to create a schedule, otherwise he risked burning himself out. Especially when he was in a state like now with an idea.

So, Saturday he spent doing all the errands he would have the day before. He cleaned. He cooked some healthy dinners. He read, because reading was just as important for exercising the brain.

Sunday was more of the same. And it rained, so Gladio focused on resting with some trashy shows he’d fallen behind on.

It was a good weekend, all things considered. But when Monday morning rolled around, he found himself more excited than he had been for months about writing. He hadn't even needed his alarm to tell him to stop avoiding it.

But it was still raining. Storming, to be more accurate.

He did his morning routine in hopes that by the time he was done, it would have cleared up. But it looked worse by the time he was ready to leave. He stared out his door and watched the rain coming down in sheets. Without a car, walking to the cafe would be foolish.

He set his bag down, got back into his comfy sweats, and made a fresh cup of coffee. He sat at his desk, put on some ambient music, and opened the windows so he could hear the rain.

In theory he had everything he needed to get work done.

In theory.

But he stared at his screen and the words didn’t come. His brain was blank, and he found quickly his thoughts drifted to other things.

He groaned and tied his hair up in a messy bun. This was dumb. He could push through a little writer’s block; he had just written ten thousand words the week before.

He looked at his outline and then closed his eyes. He tried to imagine the setting like a movie - the ancient Solheim architecture. The training grounds. The men, practicing.

Without much effort, the image of his main character came forward. Curly sun-bleached blond hair, lean muscles and tan skin from hours of training outside, bright blue eyes. He imagined this character, Aurum, stretching while his trainer watched.

Gladio’s fingers stretched out over the keyboard.

Nothing happened.

With a groan he pushed back away from the desk and let himself spin a little in his chair. He rested his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

He got up and went into the living room. He collapsed onto the couch and turned on the television - a part of him hoped maybe if he just relaxed for a bit, things would start to work themselves out and he could get some work done. It was silly, and didn’t make sense, that he could suddenly not write in his office, a place where he had been working for years.

But a few minutes turned into hours, and then it was lunchtime. And then Gladio thought, maybe he could clean the kitchen. And the bathroom. Then he wanted some more coffee. He texted with his sister.

He watched some more tv. Ate dinner.

Then his alarm went off telling him to start getting ready for bed, and it wasn't until then Gladio realized what he had done. He had wasted a whole workday instead of writing.

“Fuck.”

* * *

The next day, Gladio’s regret from the day before was overshadowed when he saw the sun breaking through the clouds. He went through his routine quickly and then made his way to Bubble tea with determination. A part of him argued he should push himself to get work done in his office, but the other part pushed that clearly this current project required a different setting.

He could almost hear Ignis’s eye roll.

But it was all forgotten when Gladio opened the door to the cafe, and in his usual corner sat Prompto, sitting like he had before across from where Gladio would sit. Gladio froze in the doorway at seeing him, already working away on his laptop, large hoodie and feet tucked up on the chair.

He made his way there, nerves wracking him. Did Prompto intend this? Were there no other seats available when he came in? There were some now, maybe he just had intended to sit there until seats opened.

Then Gladio was pulling his chair out, and everything went out the window as he and Prompto made eye contact, and they both smiled.

“Heya,” Prompto dipped his head a little, “I just uh, thought we could both keep each other company, since we’re here?”

Gladio dropped his bag onto the chair and pulled out his wallet. “Sounds great - you want anything?”

Prompto grinned again and tucked some hair behind his ear. “I'm good, thanks. Had my drink already.”

Gladio nodded and went to the counter, taking it as the chance to set himself for the day ahead. He went with his macchiato and then returned to their seats. Prompto had headphones in and his head was bobbing to some music.

As Gladio sat, Prompto looked up over the laptop and smiled, then focused back on his work. Gladio didn't want to be intrusive, so he did the same. He looked at all he had accomplished the day before - nothing - and sighed. So once again he thought about the scene, the characters…

He glanced up at Prompto.

The music blared in his ears and then he was there, he could see the scene he had wanted to write. His fingers moved and he barely looked at the screen as his mind played out the character’s actions.

* * *

Movement in front of Gladio made him pause. He took out his earbuds and looked at Prompto who had been waving a hand at him.

“Heya, gonna grab some lunch, do you wanna break with me?”

He rolled his wrists. “Ya, break would be good. But my treat.”

“What? no-” Prompto made to stand but Gladio waved him off as he stood.

He stood next to Prompto and tried not to think about how it felt to see him looking up at Gladio. “I insist. What ya want?”

“Fine, but I get the next. Just the fried tofu.”

“Just that?”

“Ya, it’s so good.”

Gladio laughed and went to place their orders. When he returned, Prompto had cleared his side of the small table and was on his phone.

“Okay, got you some water.”

“Thanks!”

Gladio put away his stuff and looked out the window. “So uh, you go to school around here?”

“Ya just the university here, getting my BA.”

“What focus?”

“Photography! But I have to take, like, so many other art courses as part of the general BA…”

“I feel ya, got mine also.”

“Oh?!”

“Ya, but my focus was writing.”

Prompto’s eyes lit up. Then Gladio’s name was called. He hopped up and got their food and then returned in time to see Prompto typing away frantically on his phone. He opted not to pay it mind.

“Writing!” Prompto grabbed his tofu and stabbed one for a bite. “So that means you’re like…”

“A starving writer?” Gladio grinned.

Prompto shook his head. “You do not look like you're starving ok.”

Gladio took that as a compliment and tilted his head, giving one of his best smiles. “Yes, I am a writer, and no, I’m not starving, you’re right.”

Prompto had popped another piece of tofu in his mouth as Gladio spoke, which meant there were a few solid seconds of the two of them staring at each other. It was Prompto who finally broke eye contact as he swallowed and grabbed his water for a drink.

Gladio was absolutely transfixed.

Prompto set down his cup. “So, uh, you- shit!” He jumped in his seat as his phone alarm went off. He started to pack up. “Shit, I gotta get going. Uh, catch ya next time?”

Gladio smiled and sat back a little, arms stretching overhead. “I’ll be here.”

He didn't miss the way Prompto looked over him, or the red that creeped up his cheeks as he threw his bag over his shoulder.

“See ya!”

“Later.”

Gladio watched him leave, watched as he hopped, skipped, and took up a jog as he sped off somewhere.

He supposed he could head home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Heya,” Prompto dipped his head a little, “I just uh, thought we could both keep each other company, since we’re here?”

The next morning Gladio was heading out the door when Ignis called. He got his earbuds in and kept walking towards the cafe.

“Hey Iggy.” A call in the morning was a bit unusual.

“Please tell me you have good news.”

Ignis must have been getting pressure from higher ups about Gladio’s progress. “In fact, I have great news.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll have something for you in a week, two at most.”

Ignis let out a long sigh that was clearly relief. “My my, that _is_ great news. You really are on a roll.”

Gladio couldn’t help how he broke out into a smile. “Found some good inspiration.”

“I thought you said there was no one.”

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.” Mind Gladio didn’t need to tell Ignis that there hadn’t even been a kiss, or a hand hold, or even a hug. But. A guy could dream.

“Fine, whatever you need to get this book done. Folks are waiting, you know that.”

“Ya, ya, you’ll get it Iggy. Keep your pants on.”

“Update me next week? Also, Noct wants to get dinner soon, he says to hurry up so you can drag your ass out of the chair. His words, not mine.”

Gladio laughed. “You bet. Tell the princess to take a nap.”

The call ended just as he got close to the cafe. He stopped outside of view to check himself in the small compact mirror he had - he had cleaned up his goatee a little. He had also put on one of his tighter shirts with a lower v. It maybe was a bit much, but. Gladio was dying here.

He considered himself presentable. He walked into the cafe as confidently as possible -

Only Prompto wasn’t there. He shifted on his feet and debated still going in. There was the chance Prompto would just be in a little later. Gladio stepped in and walked to their usual corner, dropping his stuff down. Cindy was at the counter when he went to order.

“Heya!”

“Hey uh, dirty chai today.”

“Sure thing!”

“And uh, you’re friends with Prompto, right?”

Cindy paused as she wrote on the cup, but quickly regained herself and smiled up at him. “Yup, sure am!”

“Has he been in yet today?”

“Hmm. Not while I’ve been on shift. Maybe he got tied up at school?”

“Mm.” Gladio nodded. He handed Cindy his card, and then within moments his drink was ready. Gladio sat, got his laptop set up. He looked out the window in the direction he had seen Prompto go the day before.

He had to focus. He promised Ignis a book in two weeks. He shook himself out a little, took a few calming breaths. He stared at his laptop screen and rested his fingers on the keyboard.

Nothing happened.

Considering during the last week words had moved through him like he was possessed, this was almost terrifying. He found himself checking his phone, watching the door. Phone. Door. Phone. Door.

His coffee was cold before he even finished it and he had zero words written by lunch. He had lost this one. While packing up his stuff to leave Gladio looked around once more.

It dawned on him, then, that Prompto could ghost him. _Easy._ No number, Gladio didn't even know his last name. And he was sure he could have told Cindy not to tell him. Was it possible Prompto wasn’t into him, that Gladio had misread the situation completely? Or once Prompto got to talking to him, he decided he wasn’t interested?

As Gladio walked home, his feet were heavy. He had been soaring so high the last week that this feeling weighed him down. Once home, he resisted every urge to try to look up Prompto online - he had to respect his boundaries. If Prompto wanted to stay away, permanently or not, Gladio had to respect that. But fuck, what if he never saw Prompto again?

What if he couldn’t write?

The two conflicting things left Gladio sitting on the couch for most of the day, watching trash TV and playing mobile games with Noctis. The guilt of not getting any writing done was a weight on his shoulders as he showered that night. He tried to convince himself that Prompto would be there tomorrow - but even if he weren’t, Gladio had to write anyways. He couldn't let some silly crush get in the way of his job.

Ya.

* * *

Gladio tried to play it cool as he walked up to Bubble Tea the next day. Midterms were clearly looming on the horizon as the number of students who looked like death fueled by caffeine had increased.

But this time Prompto sat in their corner.

Relief washed over Gladio at seeing him, and he told himself it was just because he needed to get some more writing done, to keep his promise to Ignis.

As Gladio approached with a grin already on his face, Cindy came barreling out from the back room and headed straight for Prompto.

“Honestly, what were you thinking?” She crouched down next to Prompto, and it was then Gladio caught on she had band aids in her hands.

Gladio sped up and got over to them. “Prompto?”

He looked up shyly and tried to smile then winced. “I’m fine. I swear. Cindy’s just being dramatic.”

Cindy set one hand on Prompto’s knee, which would have made Gladio feel things if it hadn’t resulted in Prompto letting out a howl that made the whole cafe go quiet.

“That’s what you get.” She chided him.

Gladio stood over her, looking down at Prompto. “What the hell happened?”

“I uh, got hit by a car.”

“You what!”

“I’m fine though, I could still walk and everything, just got some cuts.”

“Sweetie, I don’t have the right bandages for this mess.” She looked up at Gladio. “Pretty sure he needs stitches.”

Prompto blanched more. “I can't go to a hospital, I don’t have the money for that.”

Gladio debated their options, and then just went for it. “I have first aid stuff at my place. Butterfly bandages should work.”

They both look up at him, and Gladio realized what he had just offered. “I live really close. Can you walk?”

Cindy looked up at Prompto, and Gladio knew that conversation from a mile away. It was the _if this makes you uncomfortable blink twice right now_ conversation.

Cindy pulled back a little as Prompto nodded. “Ya, I can if I go slow.”

Prompto rose slowly. He winced, and Gladio instantly moved forward while Cindy slid out of the way. Prompto grabbed Gladio’s forearm, took two steps, and almost fell.

“How the hell did you make it here?”

“Very carefully?”

“Shit.” Gladio adjusted his bag. “Cindy, can you grab his bag for a sec?”

“Sure thing.”

“What-” Prompto let go of it with confusion, then Gladio bent his knees and swept Prompto up into his arms - “Whoa!”

“This will be faster. We need to get you fixed up.”

Cindy handed Prompto his bag. Prompto’s eyes were wide as he looked up at Gladio, and Gladio smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Don't thank me yet, let’s focus on getting you cleaned up and good as new.”

“Be careful with him please,” Cindy called out as he walked towards the door.

“Bye Cindy!”

Once outside, Gladio picked up the pace - not quite a run but a fast walk. “You okay?”

“Ya, minimal bouncing, thanks.”

Within ten minutes they were at Gladio’s house, and Prompto made a sound at seeing it. “You're definitely not a starving writer.”

Gladio laughed. “I need to put you down to get my key okay?”

“Okay.”

He carefully maneuvered Prompto who then sat on the rocking chair on the porch. Once the door was unlocked and open, Gladio set both bags inside.

“I can walk - hey!”

Gladio picked him up again, and stepped inside. He closed the door with his foot and went immediately for the guest bathroom. He placed Prompto on the sink.

“Okay, let’s take a look at you.”

Prompto looked sheepish as he held out his arms slowly. He had on a hoodie and a jean jacket and Gladio couldn’t see any tears in the fabric.

“Anything on your arms hurt?” He took Prompto’s right hand in his and carefully rolled the wrist around. Gladio watched his face for any micro shifts to show he felt pain. He had a feeling Prompto would still try to downplay his injuries.

Prompto kept his focus up at the ceiling. “Don't think so.”

“Mm.” Gladio switched to the left. That time he saw Prompto wince when he applied a little pressure. Gladio noted that.

“Might have a sprained wrist. We can just wrap it and see how you do, if it bothers you too much.”

Prompto didn't look at him. “Okay.”

Next, Gladio stepped back to look at his legs. They had taken the brunt of the hit and the fall. “Honestly you're lucky you didn’t break your legs.” He got down on his knees and did the same movement with each ankle. Prompto finally stopped staring up when Gladio got to the left.

“You okay?”

“Y-ya. just. Are you like, a doctor?”

“Was a physical therapist in a past life, mostly for athletes.”

“Oh. That makes a lot of sense.”

“Ya?” Gladio released the left foot. Prompto had open wounds going up his legs; the holy jeans he had been wearing had done basically nothing to protect him.

“Ya, I mean. You’re like….super ripped. And uh. Ya.”

Their eyes met.

Gladio tried to figure out the best way to handle what he needed to say but he opted that maybe just being blunt would be the least creepy option. “I need you to. Uh. Take off your pants.”

“What?!”

“Your injuries. I need to be able to clean you and get some butterfly bandages on them.”

“I, okay. Okay. Can you like...Turn around?”

“Sure.” Gladio stood and turned to face the wall. Behind him he could hear Prompto cursing under his breath, a little stumble maybe, and then the sound of pants hitting the floor.

“You good?”

“Ya.”

He turned. Prompto sat once more on the sink, and he had taken Gladio’s hand towel and draped it over his lap.

“Okay.” Gladio tried not to look too long. Prompto had lean, muscular legs. He rummaged through his first aid kit, and got out what he would need to clean and dress the wounds.

“So, uh,” Prompto’s voice shook a little, “why did you stop being a physical therapist?”

Gladio worked on the worst wound - the right knee which might have taken the brunt of the fall. It was an angry color of dark red. He dabbed at the skin and Prompto let out a howl.

“Holy shit warn a guy!”

“You okay there?”

“I am _not, I didn't_ come here to be tortured!”

“Oh, calm down,” Gladio clicked his tongue but he smiled up at Prompto, who froze. “Fine, I’ll give a warning.”

Prompto huffed.

“Here I go.” He dabbed and Prompto squirmed. But eventually the wound was cleaned and Gladio got it covered.

“To answer your question,” he spoke as he worked on another cut on the left leg. Gladio tried not to focus on all the bruises dotting Prompto’s skin. They were light now, but they would be dark tomorrow.

“I loved being a trainer. But then my dad and my best friend’s dad got hurt in an accident.”

“Oh no.”

“They’re fine.” Gladio moved on to another wound. “But they were both in the hospital for a long time, and my kid sister, she was young, so I needed to be around to help. I wanted to be,” he reframed. Because no one ever told him to do anything. It had been as simple as he just knew where he was needed. And that was what mattered.

“I'm glad he's okay.”

“Thanks. So ya, I just had to be home and take care of the house, my sister. It was a lot. So, I quit my job and eventually got into writing. My best friend’s family is in the business, so he helped connect me, and then,” he shrugged, “here I am.”

He sat back. Prompto’s legs didn't look so bad with all the gore cleaned up. “Okay, now.”

He stood and Prompto followed the movement. “Now?”

“Your face.” Gladio stepped forward to inspect. He saw the way Prompto stiffened a little, hands braced on the sink. He tried not to think much - if Prompto was scared at all Gladio just had to make sure he knew he was safe here.

He got to cleaning a cut on his forehead.

“Thanks,” Prompto whispered.

“For what?”

“You don't have to be doing this.”

Gladio hummed. “I think Cindy would probably ban me from the cafe if I left you to it.”

Prompto chuckled and then hissed as the movement pushed his head to Gladio's fingers.

“Stay still.” Gladio reached over to get the butterfly bandages. He got closer. Prompto shifted, spreading his knees. Gladio swallowed hard.

“Am I gonna have a cool scar?”

“Heh, what, like mine?”

“I uh, didn't mean.”

“It’s fine. Happened a long time ago. But no, I don't think you will, and if it does scar it would be faint. Your freckles will hide it.”

“I think that's the first time my freckles have been good for something.”

Gladio finished cleaning another spot. “They’re cute.” He paused; the damp cloth barely pressed to Prompto’s skin. Then he moved on. “Okay, that should do it. Let's get you some painkillers and tea. Then I'll call you a ride.”

“Naw, I’ll text Cindy, she should be done with her shift soon.”

“Okay.”

It was only then Gladio realized he had not moved, still standing in between Prompto’s bare thighs. Shiva’s tits.

He stepped back and quickly got to work putting away everything and throwing away wrappers and tissues. “I’ll just give you a minute.”

He didn't look at Prompto as he left and closed the door behind him. He let out a big sigh and headed for the kitchen. Tea. Tea. He needed to make tea.

It was while he stood in front of the stove focusing on the kettle that he heard Prompto step out of the bathroom and come towards him.

“So uh, Cindy just got off work actually, so she’s gonna come get me - oh you already made the water, shit.”

“It's okay, I’ll drink it.” Gladio turned around. Prompto looked a little unsure, so Gladio didn't move closer.

“Thanks for helping...”

“I'm sure you would have done the same, you seem like that kinda guy.”

A smile broke out over Prompto’s face. “Ya, guess so. His phone pinged. Ah, that must be her.”

“Take some painkillers when you’re home, okay?”

“Ya!”

Gladio debated about half a second before saying, “If you’d like, I can give you my number so if...if you ever need anything…or have questions, you can reach out.”

When Prompto turned around he didn't look half as mad as Gladio thought he might be. “Ya, sure. Here -” he held up his phone number and Gladio quickly put it into his. He fired off a quick text - a chocobo emoji.

Prompto smiled even wider. “See ya.” He pocketed his phone into his bag.

“Ya, see ya.”

He walked Prompto to the door. Cindy waved from her car, a look of relief on her face. Gladio waved back. Prompto slid into the front seat and then they were off.

Gladio rubbed his hands over his face. He went back into the kitchen and opted to make some chamomile to calm the beating of his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto: _so uh there's literally no space so dirty chai latte right?_
> 
> Gladio finally picked up the phone and texted back. _Ya why?_
> 
> _If I bring it, can I study at your place?_

Gladio got out of the shower to see a message lighting up his phone.

Prompto: _yo yo, the cafe is slammed today with everyone preparing for midterms and trying not to pass out in their textbooks, full warning._

Gladio stared at the phone on his sink. The offer was there on his tongue and he was only lucky this was all via text because otherwise he would have said something stupid like _you could come over here and study_ and then Prompto would hate him forever.

His phone lit up again.

_Prompto: so uh there's literally no space so dirty chai latte right?_

He finally picked up the phone and texted back. _Ya why?_

_If I bring it, can I study at your place?_

Gladio blinked. Looked up at the mirror. _Sure, here’s my address._

_Awesome awesome cool cool thanks cya soon_

“Well,” Gladio said out loud.

He got ready - he pulled his hair up in a messy bun, trimmed his beard, and splashed on some aftershave. He got into his nicest comfy clothes - a pair of joggers that hung low on his hips and a deep V-neck shirt. And ya, maybe he was playing this up a little but Prompto _did_ ask to come over. Gladio could throw out the lure and see what happened.

Gods, he had been talking to Noctis too much.

He got the dining room table set up for them to sit at, getting his laptop placed and water for each of them, as well as some fruit.

A knock at the door sent Gladio ramrod straight. He cleared his throat and opened the door to a smiling Prompto, carrying a tray of drinks. His hair was styled with his bangs up, and some black clips to hold some strands in place above his ear. And instead of his ripped jeans he had a pair of joggers, dark shirt with a wide collar.

“Morning!” he said happily. “I come bearing gifts as an offering.”

“I accept,” he said with a laugh and stepped aside to allow Prompto to come in. “You look like you’re healing up well already.”

“Ya? Must be thanks to your good hands.” Prompto had his back to Gladio but he saw the way he paused for a second at what he said. “But I couldn’t wear my jeans, too much friction on my legs.”

“Well, you are always welcome to be as comfortable as you want here. Besides, you can wear anything and look good.” He thought he might be imagining the way Prompto’s ears turned red. Gladio strode ahead and led him towards the dining room. “Our headquarters,” he gestured.

“Thanks dude, I mean, Gladio, like, super cool of you to let me come over, I figured we’re both always working anyways -”

“It's no big deal, seriously.”

Prompto handed him his drink and Gladio took a sip. “Their chai is so good.”

“I've never tried, it always smelled so powerful.”

Gladio raised an eyebrow and held out the cup. “You wanna try?”

Prompto looked at the cup, then Gladio, then the cup again. “I mean, sure?”

Gladio handed him the drink and Prompto hesitated before taking a small sip. Gladio watched him lick some foam off his lips and _gods_.

“It's not my favorite thing.” Prompto handed the cup back. “But it's not awful. I just like the sweet shit.”

“Hmm,” Gladio sat down in front of his laptop. “So, studying?”

“Ya...ya.” Prompto sat across from him, like they would in the cafe. Gladio went to the app on his phone that controlled his sound system and put on a chill cafe playlist. He cracked his knuckles and tried to focus on writing.

Looking over his laptop Prompto was immediately engrossed in his book, highlighting and making notes.

The inspiration hit him hard and fast. Gladio almost felt like he was having an out of body experience as he wrote, flying with almost a thousand-word sprints. His progress was better than anything he’d done previously.

HIs stomach growled. Looking at the clock, it had been two hours. “Wow time flies,” he sighed.

Prompto also seemed stunned. “Oh wow, lost track of time.”

“Same. You hungry?”

Prompto blinked.

“Lunch.” Gladio clarified.

“Oh ya! Uh. I mean, it’s fine, this drink has like twenty million calories.”

“You can't live off coffee.”

“Bold of you to assume I’m living.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “I'm making a light lunch.”

Prompto made to stand as Gladio passed. “Fine, fine, let me help at least.”

Gladio dropped a hand on his shoulder carefully until Prompto sat, staring up at him. “You’re a guest. You finish up what you’re doing, and I'll grab you when it's ready.”

“Wow, someone’s bossy.”

Gladio winked at Prompto before heading into the kitchen. “You don't even know.”

That time he didn't miss the way Prompto’s entire face flushed.

Gladio felt pretty sure of himself at that point. But, first things first. He got to work making a quick lunch - he made some toast, got some jam, and sliced some of the good hard cheese he still had from another recipe, and a quick salad of avocado, sunflower seeds, and kale with a light dressing.

He looked down at the serving tray and suddenly worried he had overdone it. But if he didn’t bring something out soon Prompto would definitely come in to check on him. So. He picked it up and just had to play it cool.

He headed back to the table and sat the tray on the corner between their seats. Prompto’s eyes went wide and he kept looking back and forth from the food to Gladio.

“Dude, you just. Made this?”

Gladio shrugged but he smiled. Maybe it wasn’t the bad kind of over the top. “It’s no big deal. Dig in.”

Prompto took a small plate and got a little set up for himself and Gladio did the same, both sitting back in a calm silence.

“This jam is super good.”

“Ya? My buddy made it. He has a side hustle selling homemade stuff at the farmer’s market every now and then.”

“Is he also a struggling writer?” Prompto said between bites of toast.

Gladio couldn’t help but laugh at the image of Ignis as that. “More like a struggling agent.”

Prompto raised an eyebrow. “As in, yours?”

“Unfortunately for him.”

Prompto pushed the toast around the jam a little, clearly thinking through something. “But like, you’re like...you do well, right?”

“I do alright,” Gladio shrugged, “romance is...I feel like it’s hard to break into but once you do, as long as you keep churning out books you do well. The fan bases are loyal.”

“Okay, so I gotta ask, because I totally realize I’m a doofus, what’s your last name?”

“Gonna look me up?”

“I mean,” Prompto grinned a wicked grin, and Gladio had to clear his throat and focus on his own plate for a beat before looking back up.

“Okay but honestly, it’s just cool that you like - you overcame a tough time, you changed your career, and then succeeded like - that’s rad.”

“Huh, hadn’t thought of it like that, I guess.” When their eyes met, they stayed silent a few beats before Prompto’s phone pinged.

“Sorry, just. That’s Cindy just saying hey.”

“You’re fine, guess we should get back to it. How much more studying for you?”

“Like, how much should I do or how much can I do before my brain melts and comes out my ears?”

“Whichever is more likely to happen first.”

Prompto made a dramatic show of thinking. “Honestly probably another hour or two and then I don't think I can cram much more without breaking.”

“How about,” Gladio tapped the edge of Prompto’s book. “You stay for a movie to wind down after?”

The flush up Prompto’s neck was criminal. Gladio tried not to get ahead of himself.

Prompto tapped his pencil on the table before replying. “Su-sure. Ya, that’d be cool.”

“Great,” Gladio returned to his laptop, grinning and not entirely caring if Prompto caught on.

Gladio cleaned up after they finished, swatting at Prompto when he tried to help. Then he settled back down and resumed writing. He had his headphones in so he could swim in the creativity that opened for him.

And if he had even a moment where he was stuck, he just had to look up at Prompto and then he was flying. He was doing sprints to take breaks for his wrists, and in those twenty minutes he was again getting upwards of a thousand words in one go and that was insane. It felt insane and it felt so fucking _good_.

There was one...small inkling of guilt though as Gladio got to writing the romance of his story. His mind went to wild places and he tried not to imagine Prompto, he really did, but he had practically carved the main love interest out of marble in Prompto’s image.

His alarm went off - two hours had passed. He looked up at Prompto, who appeared to be mostly just staring at the table.

“You okay?”

Prompto blinked and shook his head. “Ya. I think I hit a wall, but I don't know if I have absorbed anything useful.”

“Come on, let’s watch a movie to help you rest.”

“Maybe just a show? Movies are long, I feel bad.”

“Whatever you're cool with, you have the deadlines.”

“You do too, don't you?”

Gladio waved his hand in the air. “I’m making the greatest progress.”

“Oh, that's great!”

“Mmhm.”

Prompto followed Gladio into the living room and let out a small _wow_ that made him puff up a little. Gladio prided himself on his set up - he wanted a comfortable couch because he loved watching movies, and loved watching with others, so he had gotten a large, long, cushy couch for just that, with two ends so it looked like a small ‘u’. Gladio picked a seat slightly to the left and grabbed his remote. He gestured.

“Sit anywhere you want.”

“Oh, uh.” Prompto froze.

“You can sit next to me, I won't bite.”

Prompto pressed his lips tight into a line and Gladio so desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. But Prompto didn't say a word as he sat down, about an arm’s length away. Which was fine.

“Get comfortable, kick off your shoes, here's a pillow.” He grabbed one of the throw pillows and handed it to Prompto, who took to it instantly and cradled it against his chest.

Fuck, Prompto was so fucking cute. Did he know? Did he?

Gladio distracted himself by grabbing the remote and turning on the television, going to one of the streaming services he had. “So - a show?”

“Ya, that's fine.”

“Any requests?”

“Naw, whatever you like is fine!”

Gladio scanned his favorites. “Have you ever watched Terrace House?”

Prompto raised an eyebrow. “No. I don't, uh, watch much tv to be honest. Or any. I don't have cable or any services, so my options are always limited.”

“Well.” Gladio didn’t dwell on asking Prompto about his financial situation. “It's basically just a reality show where strangers live together and hook up.”

Prompto blinked. “You know, I almost forgot you write romance.”

Gladio rolled his eyes and grabbed another pillow to hit Prompto square on top of his own. Prompto let out a yelp, but Gladio didn’t egg him on further.

“Just for that I'm making you watch it.”

He hit play and the opening started.

“That house is huge.”

“Ya, they find insanely amazing places.”

“Like. Holy shit, I would so be on this show.”

“Oh? What would be your reason?

As if on cue, one of the guys in the show started talking. “I’m looking for a love worth dying for.”

“See,” Gladio gestured to the screen, “that's his.”

Prompto gave a quick laugh. “I don't think I would be able to say anything wise or grand like that. I would just be like - I want to live in a place this beautiful for once.” He played with the edges of the pillow. “What would your reason be?”

“Mmmm,” Gladio propped his elbow on the back of the couch and angled his body so he could look at Prompto.

“I think looking for love is one of the greatest quests we can go on.”

Prompto rolled to sit with his side pressed to the back of the couch, still clutching the pillow. “Have _you_ ever had a love worth dying for?” He looked up at Gladio with a glint in his eyes, his freckles standing out from the glow of the tv screen.

He adjusted to mimic the way Prompto sat. “Not yet, but I wouldn't mind having it. You?”

Prompto shook his head a little. “Love seems like so...much. And I’m scared I’ll fuck up every time.” The show was background noise to Gladio as he focused on Prompto.

Gladio reached out and his hand could just hit Prompto’s knee that was curled up on the couch. “You'll never find it though if you never try right?”

Prompto visibly swallowed. “Dang, you really are a romance writer.”

Gladio smiled and curled his fingers a little on Prompto’s leg. Inside his blood was on fire. He wanted to pull Prompto into a kiss so, so, so bad but, the hypocritical fool, was worried he would offend him by trying. There was less distance between them now.

“I mean, I have to put all that romance somewhere right?” He pulled his hand back, but Prompto grabbed his wrist and held it in place.

Things happened in a blur. Gladio sat up and pulled and Prompto _followed_ , throwing the pillow behind him as Gladio guided him closer and with his other hand cradled Prompto’s neck as they kissed _hard._ They both inhaled and Prompto shifted, climbing onto Gladio’s lap and straddling his thighs and -

“Gods,” Gladio whispered before Prompto’s tongue pressed between his lips and Gladio groaned around it. His hands settled on Prompto’s’ hips, and Prompto’s arms caged his head on the back of the couch.

Just when Gladio was about to try to pause and ask if this was okay, Prompto rolled his hips.

He was done for.

Gladio squeezed and slid his thumbs up past the edge of Prompto’s jeans, sliding against his warm skin. Prompto didn't pull away - instead he leaned forward so Gladio’s hands moved up, up and then he dragged his fingers over Prompto’s nipples, squeezing them gently.

Prompto was the one who moaned this time.

Gladio didn’t speak; he couldn't - he wouldn't - because if he was dreaming, drooling about this on his pillow, he wanted to see if to completion, dammit.

Their kiss deepened as Prompto’s hands finally moved, sliding down Gladio's chest. Prompto stretched out his hands as they reached Gladio’s pecs.

“Fuck,” he whispered against Gladio’s lips. “They feel just as amazing as I thought they would.”

Gladio huffed a laugh and then wrapped his hands around Prompto’s back to pull him close, nails slightly dragging across the skin. Prompto arched his back with a moan that was fucking beautiful.

And Prompto’s hands roamed, down, down, until they hit the button of his jeans. Gladio rocked his hips to give his resounding consent, followed by him doing the same to Prompto.

They got their pants open as far as they could without moving away from each other, and then Prompto was jerking Gladio off so good and fast Gladio almost saw stars.

With a soft growl Gladio gripped Prompto and matched his pace. They both stopped kissing, but their mouths hung open, lips barely touching each other as they breathed and moaned.

“Gladio,” Prompto said in between small cries and Gladio pushed up to bite softly just under Prompto’s ear.

He had hoped Prompto would like that and bless the Astrals he was right, so much so that Prompto let out a cry as he became completely undone and Gladio didn't even care that he made a mess of his shirt.

When Prompto paused his movements, Gladio finally opened his eyes and they looked at each other. Prompto looked down between them, and Gladio suddenly wondered if he was regretting it, did he pressure -

Prompto wiped his hand across Gladio’s belly, and then used his own mess to slick up Gladio.

“Holy mother of Shiva -” Gladio threw his head back as Prompto worked him with long strokes, swiping his thumb across the tip. Gladio was so so hard, right on the edge -

He looked up as Prompto lifted Gladio’s other hand, sticky still with his release, and opened his mouth.

Gladio was going to die, right there, as Prompto slid his index finger into his mouth and _sucked_.

“I’m-” He was done for, he came hard, after just a few more pumps in time with the image and feeling of Prompto’s tongue around his finger.

He stared at the ceiling, breathing. Prompto didn't say anything. When he finally let out a shaky long breath and lowered his chin, Prompto looked - unsure.

Gladio smiled. He sat upright and slid his hands around Prompto and kissed him slow, soft. That seemed to remove any fear Prompto had as he melted into the touch.

When they finally parted, the credits for the show were running.

“You enjoy the show?”

Prompto laughed. “Totally, would watch again.”

Gladio also laughed. He loved how Prompto looked when he laughed. Gladio kissed him again.

“What time is it anyways?”

“Uuuh, six?”

Prompto let out a sigh. “I should uh, probably get going. Study some more and get to sleep early.”

Gladio stopped himself from all the offers that were on the tip of his tongue. “Course.”

It was awkward for a moment as they collected themselves. Prompto peeled himself away and Gladio pulled off his shirt that had taken the brunt of both of their mess, wadding it up for the laundry.

“I, uh.” Prompto pulled his shoes on before standing up. “My first test is in the morning, but the afternoon I’ll be studying again.”

“See you then?” Gladio did not state where. He wouldn't pressure, but he wanted Prompto to know he wanted to see him.

Prompto was very obviously staring at Gladio’s naked chest, and took a beat before answering. “Ya, of course.” He gave a crooked smile.

“Looking forward to it.”

After Prompto collected his things and had slung his bag over his shoulder, Gladio finally realized he didn’t have a car. “Shit, I only have a bike.”

“You ride?” Prompto turned sharply to stare up at him.

“I don't usually have to drive much so that's more of a hobby than a necessity.”

“I mean, it's not that bad to walk, you’re what ten minutes from the cafe, and I’m about 20 from that -”

“Okay, shut it, I’m taking you home.”

“Hey, I -”

Gladio walked towards his bedroom to get into a hoodie and grab his boots. When he headed back to the living room Prompto still stood there, furiously texting on his phone.

Gladio’s heart sank a little when Prompto looked up at him with a blush. “Ah sorry uh - ”

"You got a ride?

“Oh - no, uh, just letting Cindy know that I’m, ya know. Not dead.”

Gladio raised an eyebrow.

“Anyways! Yes! Bike! Lead the way!”

With a snort and a shake of his head he grabbed his keys. “This way.”

Prompto followed him to the garage - it was where he had his gym setup since he didn't have a car parked in it. The bike was in the corner.

“She's beautiful!” Prompto ran forward while Gladio grabbed two helmets.

“She is, isn’t she? Here.” He handed Prompto one helmet, which he put on while bouncing around Gladio like a kid about to go on their first roller coaster or something.

It made Gladio smile.

He hit the garage door opener on his keys and the cool night air rushed in. He got on the bike. “Ok, get on. Your chariot awaits.”

“Oh my.” Prompto feigned at fanning himself before climbing onto the seat. “Do I just -”

“Ya, bring your arm - like that, ya.”

Prompto scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Gladio’s waist. “You gotta promise to hold on. I won't go too fast, but it still hurts like hell to fall.”

“I won't let go!”

He turned on the bike, listening to the engine purr and vibrate under him. Prompto pressed against him tighter, and Gladio had to focus to not get lost on the feeling of him close again.

“You’re in the dorms right?”

“Yup!”

They were off. Gladio hit the garage opener and the headlights guided him. The last bit of sunlight could be seen on the horizon, stars had started to come out.

Prompto didn’t move, plastered to Gladio as he promised. He didn’t go fast either, like he promised. He wasn't going to risk hurting Prompto on the first night of ...whatever this was.

Once at the dorms, he stopped in a parking spot partly secluded by some trees. Maybe a little bit on purpose, ya.

He parked and took off his helmet, and helped Prompto do the same.

“What did you think?”

“So cool, I've always wanted one.”

With the helmet off, Gladio chuckled and smoothed out some of his hair that stuck up. As he did, he caught how Prompto leaned into the touch, and stepped in closer. Gladio let his hand trail down Prompto’s neck so he could cradle the back of it.

It seemed so natural, the way they fit together as Prompto held onto Gladio’s wrist and moved up while Gladio wrapped his other hand on his hips. They kissed slow, taking their time until Prompto was the one pushing himself up against Gladio, hands skating across the top of Gladio’s pants.

“You -” the amount of will it took Gladio to pull back, “- you gotta study. And get sleep.”

Prompto bit his lower lip. “Ya, true. Okay. okay. Oh - the helmet?”

“Keep it, you might need it later.” Gladio winked and Prompto cradled it to his chest like he had the pillow.

“See ya.” He kissed Prompto on the forehead and got his helmet on, giving a wave as he drove off. If he had stayed there another minute, he would have for sure not gone home any time soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m going to take you into my bedroom,” Gladio whispered low between heavy kisses. “Is that okay?” 
> 
> Prompto moaned. “If you don’t I will drag you in there myself.” 
> 
> “You're still hurt.” 
> 
> “I literally don't care.”

As Gladio got out of the shower after working out, he had a text on his screen.

_Usual?_

But it had been sent roughly 20 minutes ago. Gladio sent a quick response back.

_Hey sorry, was in the shower, don't worry I’ll order when I get there._

He wrapped a towel around his waist and used another to towel dry his hair some. He trimmed his beard a little, brushed his teeth.

The doorbell rang as Gladio got the hair dryer out. He set it down on the counter and walked out to the door. He held onto the towel so it didn't drop as he opened the door.

“Oh,” Prompto nearly whispered. He had a tray of drinks in his hands, and his glasses framed his blushing face.

Gladio blinked. “Hey sorry, I figured you were at the cafe.”

“It uh, was packed, so I thought...”

Gladio’s heartbeat quickened. He tried to control himself because the towel was not going to do him any favors in hiding where his mind instantly went. He stepped back and opened the door wider. “Course, come on in.”

Prompto’s face was an even deeper red by the time Gladio led him to the dining area. Prompto set the tray down and dropped his bag on a seat.

Gladio stood in the archway, watching him. When Prompto looked up to meet his stare, he looked like he was having some sort of internal struggle.

“I’ll just,” Gladio motioned to himself, “be a minute, to get decent.” He turned to head to his room. He heard Prompto’s steps before he felt a hand touch his lower back and slide up slowly.

Gladio looked over his shoulder.

Prompto’s hand dragged along his shoulder blades as he moved. Gladio hoped to all hell he was reading the signals right as he lifted his hand not holding onto the towel to wrap around Prompto’s waist and pull him close.

Their kiss was instantly hot, open, needy. Gladio wrapped both arms around Prompto and the towel fell to the floor.

Prompto bit Gladio’s lower lip, and he growled and pulled his head up so his lip popped back when Prompto released it.

“I’m going to take you into my bedroom,” Gladio whispered low between heavy kisses. “Is that okay?”

Prompto moaned. “If you don’t, I will drag you in there myself.”

“You're still hurt.”

“I literally don't care.”

In one fluid motion Gladio swept Prompto up into his arms carefully. Once in his bedroom, his pulse was rapid, and he was so hard. He placed Prompto on the bed, standing in front of him.

They both quickly worked on undressing Prompto and within what felt like seconds Prompto was just as naked. His bruises and bandaged cuts gave Gladio pause.

“I’m fine,” Prompto whined as he reached out for Gladio, fingertips tracing down his stomach.

Gladio took in a breath.

Apparently even that was too slow because Prompto sprung up to sitting and in one fell swoop swallowed Gladio until his nose hit Gladio’s stomach.

“Ah, shit, shit, ” Gladio caved forward and braced his hands on Prompto’s shoulders. Prompto’s mouth was hot and his tongue was wicked as he dragged it up the length of Gladio and hollowed out his cheeks as he moved back down.

“Hey,” Gladio managed to speak.

Prompto moved back, dick popping out of his mouth audibly, and looked up at Gladio with wet lips and wide eyes.

“Slide back,” Gladio said with as little force as possible. Prompto did as requested and Gladio didn’t miss the way he stretched out long as he moved and arched his back. Gladio held it together long enough to walk to the nightstand, not losing eye contact with Prompto as he opened the drawer and pulled out his bottle of lube.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” Prompto moaned and whispered as Gladio joined him on the bed, crawling to hover directly over him. Gladio poured lube in his hand and rubbed both together to warm it a little. He lowered his hips and lubed himself up and Prompto lifted his head to watch. His mouth hung open and Gladio could see the rapid rise and fall of his breath as his chest moved.

Gladio knew they couldn’t do exactly what he wanted to do in that moment - they were both way too keyed up and wouldn’t make it far, and he didn’t want to hurt Prompto in his excitement. With a steadying breath, Gladio leaned over and kissed Prompto’s chest. His hands flung to scratch down Gladio’s back and hips arched up.

“I’m going to move you.”

“Please please please please-”

Glad moved and lifted Prompto, slowly pushing him to flip over which Prompto gladly did once he realized what Gladio wanted. He instantly lifted his hips up.

“We’re gonna...go slow.” Gladio let one hand rest on Prompto’s lower back. He was a fucking _sight_ like this.

“Please don’t, holy fuck, I think I’m fucking dreaming.”

Gladio let out a laugh. “You and me both,” Gladio slid up, draping himself over Prompto. With one hand he first slid his dick between Prompto’s thighs and then pushed his legs together before gripping Prompto.

Even that sensation was so much Gladio could hardly take it. But he was still mindful of Prompto’s wounds.

“Wait, your knees -”

“I’m okay, I swear, I swear.”

Gladio couldn’t hold back much more. He moved, rolling his hips between the warm skin of Prompto’s thighs and kept his hand on Prompto in time. Prompto instantly was gripping the sheets in his hands shouting into the blanket. Gladio swiped over Prompto, flicked his wrist, and kept his own movements slow as he tracked what made Prompto squirm most.

When Prompto came, he shouted loud and arched his back even more. Gladio worried again for half a second about his injuries but then Prompto began to _rock_ , fast.

“Oh shit you-“ Gladio straightened up and gripped Prompto’s hips. It was almost as good as he imagined the real thing would feel as Prompto slammed against Gladio’s hips.

Gladio cried out and felt Prompto’s skin grow slick with his release. He rocked through his orgasm until he was too sensitive, and he pulled back.

Prompto squirmed and flipped onto his back. He reached out with splayed out fingers and Gladio listened to the silent request, lowering himself beside Prompto and draping an arm over his waist.

“I swear I didn't come here with uh, this. Intention.”

Gladio huffed a laugh. “It’s okay.”

“I mean to be fair you opened the door looking like something out of a porno.”

He kissed Prompto on the forehead. “I’ll remember that worked.”

Prompto snorted and cuddled up close. “I really do need to study though. Got my test tomorrow.”

“Mmmhm.” Gladio held on tighter.

Prompto didn’t pull away.

* * *

The next morning Gladio knew he had the day to himself - Prompto had his exam and so had warned Gladio he wouldn't be able to come by. Either to the cafe or to his place.

While Gladio wouldn't have minded more of his company, he also took advantage of the day to get more writing done to make up for the last two days.

Once done with his morning routine he got settled at his desk and put on his writing playlist. Within minutes he was typing at a rapid pace. Every twenty minutes he was hitting between six to eight hundred words and he felt a swell of excitement with what he was creating.

It was Prompto. Had to be. Maybe he was adding some flavor into the story from their time together, but how many writers use their own experience to write? He would say all.

After his lunch break Gladio once again was on fire. He had a few texts from Prompto, and he had been sending encouragement as he went into his midterm. Then he saw on his coffee break he had a text from Ignis asking for an update.

Gladio hit the call button.

“A phone call?” Ignis’s voice on the other end was light.

“I figure you wouldn't believe me through text.”

“Possibly correct.”

“I think I’ll have a draft by the end of the week.”

He thought he heard Ignis choke on something he was drinking. “Pardon?”

“You heard me.”

“My, my, so your muse really is back.”

“Ya, seems so.”

“Excellent, I'll let Noct know. He’ll be pleased I'm sure.”

After a bit more conversation, Gladio was about to start writing again when he had an idea. Prompto would have been out of his midterm by this time. He did a few quick searches online for nearby restaurants - ones that were classy but not in a way that would spook Prompto.

He fired off a text to Prompto - _Hey, got plans to celebrate midterms being over this week?_

_Prompto: Uh, yes. I plan to pop a pill and pass out for a month._

Gladio snorted. _Great so you’re free?_

_Prompto: ;p_

_Prompto: But seriously ya i am why_

Gladio leaned back as he typed, grinning wide. _I wanna take you out._

He watched the message screen, and even though his nerves began to kick in at Prompto not responding, he was relieved he didn’t backtrack when finally Prompto replied.

_Prompto: Oh?_

Clearly, he was playing coy. Gladio could do this. _Ya, good dinner, maybe some wine, share a dessert?_

_Prompto: Sounds like a date. :3_

_That’s the hope._

Another pause. Gladio distracted himself by pulling up the final two places he was deciding between. There was an Altissian place, which was a lot of seafood, or Graelean, which was a lot of noodle and rice dishes. He was thinking Graelean - more options in case Prompto had anything he didn’t like, and seafood was usually something people liked less.

His phone pinged.

_Prompto: Friday night?_

_Perfect._

_Prompto: Fdgkjhdfjkhg ok but like. I got my exams so I will...see you then?_

_I’ll try to survive until then._

_Prompto: Har har_

_I mean it._

Gladio clicked on the Graelean place and made a reservation for two. It was Tuesday, so just a few days to go. He would focus on writing as much as he could, and the dinner would serve as a celebration for him, too.

* * *

Not seeing Prompto for three days was tougher than Gladio had thought, considering they’d only just met. But they still texted each other, and Gladio was still able to get writing done, as planned.

Friday night as he got dressed, Gladio was definitely dressing to impress. He put on his favorite tight plunging V-neck shirt and his tighter fitting dark jeans. He pulled his hair back into a low bun and fussed with a few strands to frame his face. Trimmed his beard, put on his nice boots, leather bracelets, his favorite necklace.

Gladio smiled at his reflection. He was so ready to sweep Prompto off his feet.

He got on his bike and made his way to Prompto’s. When Gladio pulled up he saw Prompto waiting out in front of the dorms, and Gladio was immediately near salivating at the sight of him.

His hair was styled up, with black clips this time to keep some of the strands out of his face. He had on a light, billowy long sleeve shirt with a wide collar that revealed some of his collarbone, and also wore tight jeans.

Gladio couldn’t help himself. As Prompto approached Gladio turned off the bike and took off his helmet, to meet Prompto halfway. He instantly pulled Prompto close and kissed him.

Prompto responded after only skipping a beat, standing on his toes and throwing his arms around Gladio’s neck.

Gladio could have stood there the whole night kissing him and not even care. But eventually Prompto pulled away and let out a loud breath.

“Okay. Okay. I have to tell you I am _starving_.”

Gladio softly kissed him again. “Sorry, just missed you.” The words tumbled out unexpectedly, but Gladio meant them.

Prompto blinked at him, and this time he was the one who kissed Gladio. After a few more soft pecks, Gladio finally was the one to back away, holding onto Prompto’s hands.

“You ready?”

“Heck ya,” Prompto put on his helmet and Gladio put his back on as he got on the bike.

As he drove, Gladio didn’t miss the way Prompto’s hands splayed across Gladio’s stomach every now and again. It made him grin, to feel those hands on him.

When they arrived, Prompto hopped off and removed his helmet, staring up at the sign and to Gladio, then back again.

“What?” Gladio stored his helmet in one pouch. He took Prompto’s as he kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

“Dude, are you psychic?”

Gladio raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Or have you been stalking me.”

He crossed his arms. Prompto covered his mouth with his hands.

“You okay?”

“Sorry just. I need a moment. I’ve been wanting to eat here for _ages_. When it opened last year all I heard was how good their curry was but…” Prompto spun and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Dude this place is too expensive.”

It wasn’t, not by Gladio’s standards. He may have not considered that when he was looking at options. The place didn’t have a dress code requirement, but took reservations. That put it at date-worthy and not intimidating.

He clearly didn’t have the right lens on.

“Hey,” Gladio reached out. After Prompto looked at his hand for a beat, he slowly took it. Gladio pulled him closed, tilting his chin with his other hand. Prompto stared up at him with wide eyes.

“We’re celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” Prompto whispered.

“How about…” Gladio kissed his nose, “the longest we’ve known each other.”

Prompto blinked several times. “You really are a romance writer.”

“I mean, we can also go get pizza or something, if you don’t want --”

“Shush ok ok ok!” Prompto squirmed and Gladio released him, laughing.

He took Prompto’s hand in his as he opened the door for them. The smells that wafted into the lobby were heavenly - and Prompto clearly was already more than excited by the way he looked around and clearly took deep breaths.

The host took them to their table - a small u-shaped cushy booth that offered a little bit of privacy. It was busy since it was a Friday night, but the ambience overall was cozy, classic. Romantic.

The soft lights made Prompto’s skin glow, his freckles pop and his blue eyes shimmer. As they sat and the host gave them their menus, Prompto still looked like he was a bit in shock at everything.

“So which dish was it you wanted to try?” Gladio said once the host had left them.

Prompto came back down from his thoughts and looked at the menu in his hands. “The green soup curry - oh man everything looks so good though.”

Gladio looked over the menu - well, pretending to. He had already gone through it of course in advance and had an idea of what he wanted to get. But it was nice to also see what Prompto was leaning towards.

“So is curry your favorite food?”

Prompto continued scanning the menu. “It’s def in my top ten. I like...soupy things, I guess. Got used to eating them growing up and instead of hating it for eating so much of it, I just kinda embraced it?” He looked over the top of the menu. “How do I choose just one thing ohmygod.”

“Well,” Gladio said with a laugh. He slid a little closer so their thighs touched. Prompto tensed a little. “You can get the green curry, and then I can get something else you want to try, and we can share?”

“What? No, that’s not fair! You should get what you want.”

Gladio set the menu down on the table. “I already have what I want.”

At that exact moment their server appeared, and Prompto did a juggling act with the menu. His face was a bright red - Gladio chuckled and sat back.

“Greetings, can I perhaps interest you in some wine tonight?”

“Your favorite white.”

“Ah,” the server’s eyes lit up. “I’ll get that of course.”

“Gladio-” Prompto hissed as the server stepped away. “You aren’t even - like what if he gets the most expensive wine and it tastes awful.”

“Hey, hey,” he patted Prompto’s leg and let his hand rest there, fingers just dipping along his inner thigh. “Relax. I didn’t mention it before but, I’ve been here, a few times. They won’t mess with me.”

Their eyes met, and Prompto laughed and shook his head. “You’re kinda unreal.”

In response, he leaned in and brushed his nose against Prompto’s. “That’s you.”

Prompto swatted his arm playfully. “Are you just gonna keep saying cheesy things all night?”

“Why, do you not like it?”

He huffed and sat back, crossing his arms. “I _do_ and it’s very annoying.”

Gladio grinned. Prompto rolled his eyes. Then the server arrived with their wine, but Gladio couldn’t stop smiling, especially not when Prompto’s foot rested against his calf.

By the end of dinner, they had finished their bottle of wine, which had been, as Prompto had put it, ‘fucking godlike’, and had taken the last bites of their shared dessert sitting as close as they possibly could without being indecent. Gladio couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much, or wanted to kiss someone so much, or want nothing more than constant contact.

Gladio was in deep. He was in trouble. And he didn’t want to let go.

He had sneakily paid the bill on his way back from the restroom so that they wouldn’t have the awkward first date who pays conversation. Even though he had said it was his treat, he just knew Prompto would try to help, and Gladio wouldn’t have that.

Gladio kissed Prompto’s temple. “Shall we?”

“Leave?”

He moved to kiss Prompto’s cheek. “Mmhm,”

“Wait, don’t we have to pay?”

“Taken care of.” He kissed his chin.

“What-hey! Gladioooo.”

Gladio swallowed his name from Prompto’s mouth with a kiss, lingering and opening his mouth wide. Prompto moaned a little and melted into the kiss, before pushing with both hands on his chest.

“Seriously! I was going to help pay!”

“I told you, it’s my treat. To celebrate.”

Prompto pouted. “I get the next one.”

The thought that Prompto wanted another date made Gladio smile. “Deal.” He leaned back in for another kiss. Prompto responded even quicker this time, a hand roaming up Gladio’s thighs under the table.

“Can we go now?” Gladio whispered.

“Are we going back to your place?” Prompto’s hand squeezed, and Gladio had to pull himself away so he didn’t get any more indecent in this place.

“That what you want?” Gladio kept his voice low.

Prompto’s eyes darkened. “Totally.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah, the elusive Prompto,” Ignis raised his champagne flute in a toast and all looks were focused on them. 
> 
> “Uh, hey,” Prompto waved his free hand. “Excited to meet you all.”

The next couple of months went by in an unprecedented whirl, punctuated and highlighted by all the time Gladio got to spend with Prompto. They set a routine not long after Prompto’s midterms were done; days when they needed to focus they would hang out at the cafe and go usually to Gladio’s after for dinner. And...other things.

The days Prompto didn’t have homework or work, Gladio didn’t write so he could come over. They binged all the seasons of Terrace House, cooked together, took naps...they fell into such an easy routine it was a little scary at times.

Prompto’s appearance in his life didn’t interfere with his work, because Gladio finished his book quicker than any previous one and had it edited and turned back around by the time Prompto was taking his finals at the end of the semester.

The book release was planned for the summer - but in advance Ignis suggested they host a small party at Gladio’s house with his closest friends and family who would get an advanced copy.

Gladio was nervous about this party for several reasons. For one, it would be the first time everyone important to him would be meeting Prompto. Two, it would be the first time Prompto got to meet everyone.

He thankfully had about an hour at the start of the party to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves, had a few drinks, and that overall, everything was perfect for Prompto’s arrival. He wasn’t nervous about anyone not liking Prompto - what was there not to like? But he knew Prompto was hard on himself, and Gladio came from a very different background. He didn’t want to overwhelm or intimidate Prompto.

Maybe he shouldn’t have waited to introduce him to everyone, thinking about it.

When he got the text Prompto was there, Gladio excused himself from talking to his dad and stepped over to the front door to greet him.

“Hey babe,” Gladio leaned down to give him a soft kiss. Prompto was dressed in what Gladio knew was his only pair of black jeans without holes, and a dark short sleeve button up shirt with little chocobo silhouettes. And his glasses.

Gladio grinned wide. “You look great.”

Prompto smiled shyly. “Thanks for paying for the ride, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” That got him another kiss. “Everyone is here, you ready?”

“Not really, you have me pretty terrified.”

“Just want to set expectations properly.”

“Well consider me _properly_ terrified then.”

Gladio snickered. He took Prompto’s hand in his and guided him towards the living room. When they entered, it was of course Ignis who spotted them first.

“Ah, the elusive Prompto,” Ignis raised his champagne flute in a toast and all looks were focused on them.

“Uh, hey,” Prompto waved his free hand. “Excited to meet you all.”

After a few greetings the room resumed its level of chatter. Iris of course was instantly at Prompto’s other side and asking him a million questions. Gladio stayed for as long as he could politely do until he had to start being social once again. He figured with Iris, Prompto would be in good hands. And besides he half lived there with Gladio, he knew where he could hide if he needed a moment to recharge.

After making some rounds, Ignis pulled Gladio to his side and used a spoon from his dessert to hit the champagne glass, getting everyone’s attention.

Gladio motioned for Prompto, but he stayed by Iris shyly.

“I just wanted to take a moment to thank Gladio, and all of you, for supporting him. Gladio is one of our best writers, but he is also our good friend. When one of us shines, we all shine.”

Ignis raised his glass. “To Gladio! To another successful launch.”

Everyone cheered and took a sip.

“And to Prompto!” Noctis chimed in from across the room, “for being the muse Gladio needed to kick his ass back into gear.”

They all laughed and took another drink. Gladio winked at Prompto when their eyes met and he saw the bit of confusion there. He hadn’t really admitted to Prompto yet just how much he had inspired the story, but he figured he would that night, before Prompto read his [personally signed] copy.

Gladio was caught up once more in socializing with others. He looked over once to see Iris and Noctis with Prompto, both talking excitedly about something. It was rare to see Noctis so chatty with someone he didn’t know. It was good to see how Prompto was already fitting in so easily with everyone there. He knew he had been so worried about the party.

“I believe you haven’t personally introduced me to your new beau,” his dad scolded when he made his way over to Gladio.

“You can say hi, dad.”

His dad gave him that look - “I would rather things were proper.”

“Fine, fine,” Gladio looked around the room for where Prompto had ended up. He didn’t see him anywhere in the living room.

“Prompto!” He heard Iris shout. Gladio spun in the direction of her voice - near the front door - immediately.

Just in time to see the door closing and Prompto and Noctis nowhere to be seen.

He all but ran to Iris. “What happened?”

She shook her head emphatically. “We were just talking to him about the book, and about ya know, how sweet it was that you were so inspired by him, and - then he looked confused. And he picked up a copy of your book.”

Gladio didn’t quite understand, why would that be enough for him to go -

“He flipped through and the first thing he landed on, it was an um, a private scene.”

The door flew open. It was Noctis, who had an angry look in his eyes. “You didn't tell him?”

“Shit,” Gladio pushed past both his sister and Noctis, ignoring their shouts as he ran outside. Prompto was already out of sight.

“Prompto!” He cursed under his breath and got out his phone, instantly calling Prompto.

It rang a few times. Then went to voicemail. He tried again. Straight to voicemail.

“Shit!” Gladio nearly threw his phone to the ground. But he shoved it into his pocket and stormed back inside.

“Gladdy-”

“Leave it,” he huffed.

Ignis was already on the offensive, clearing up the place and starting to help folks get cars arranged to take them home if they had too much to drink. Gladio didn’t make pleasantries, instead going into his room and continuing to try to get a hold of Prompto.

When that didn't work, he started to text, rapidly. Each one went unread.

“Gladio?”

He looked up to see Ignis, Noct, and Iris standing in the hallway, just outside his bedroom door.

“Sorry, just.”

“Why didn’t you tell him, Gladdy?”

He laughed a little. “I thought it would be a cute surprise?”

Noctis crossed his arms. “I like him. Don’t fuck it up.”

Some more of the pressure escaped Gladio. “Seems like I already did.”

“Come,” Ignis motioned for the two to move along. “I’ll call you tomorrow, to discuss the details of your signing.”

“Oh…ya. Thanks.”

He gave a sad nod before he also stepped out of view. Gladio collapsed backwards onto his bed with a groan. He rubbed his face with both hands over and over, creating a warmth before pushing the heels of his hands over his eyes.

* * *

Gladio’s phone vibrated where it rested on his chest. He startled awake and had it in front of his face almost immediately.

It was Ignis, texting. _Are you alright to talk?_

He wasn’t, but he also knew he had other things he had to do, that weren't sitting there trying to get a hold of Prompto.

_Sure._

By the time he was in the kitchen getting water in his kettle, his phone rang. He had his pods in so he could continue to move around the kitchen to make his coffee and have both hands free.

“Hey.”

“You sound awful.”

“Thanks.”

“Any word?”

“No.”

Ignis sighed.

“Look, I know what you’re going to say and yes, I know I fucked up. I just...I thought it would be cute to surprise him. Show him how much he like...inspired me and shit.”

“Have you apologized?”

“Over text and voicemail about a hundred times. He probably has me blocked by now.”

“I’m sure he will come around. It was probably a shock, and a lot for him to take in suddenly.”

Gladio blew the air out loudly. It had been over a week. He was pretty sure that meant they were through.

“Will you be alright at the signing tomorrow night?”

“I mean, can I really say no?”

“It's not advised.”

“I’ll figure it out. Put on a smile.”

“You know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Iggy. Talk later.”

He hung up the phone and laid there, staring up at the ceiling. He knew he should get up, try to get a bit of routine going again. Work out. Do something that wasn’t lying there feeling sorry for himself. He looked at his phone again and saw it was getting late and he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

He reluctantly rolled out of bed and threw on sweatpants and a loose shirt. He was pretty sure he was on the edge of a fully-fledged bout of something dark and heavy, but he also wasn’t sure how to stop it. Prompto had been such an unexpected brightness in his life, that having it suddenly gone was like having something precious ripped away from him violently.

Dinner. Food. He needed to eat.

Gladio stood in front of his fridge, hanging on the door as he held it open debating his options, when he heard a knock at the front door. He was half distracted thinking about dinner and so he opened the door without thinking.

Prompto stood there, looking as tired as Gladio felt. Wearing one of Gladio’s hoodies.

“Hey.”

Gladio gripped the door handle tight to keep him from leaping forward and wrapping his arms around Prompto.

“Hey.”

“Can...can we talk?”

“Of course.” Gladio stepped back and opened the door more, creating enough space for Prompto to walk in without coming in contact with him. Gladio closed the door as Prompto stood in the foyer.

“We can go to the dining room?”

Prompto seemed to think through something. “Living room?”

Gladio was surprised by that but he nodded. He would let Prompto lead, let him decide everything here since he was the one hurt.

“Lead the way,” Gladio offered. Prompto nodded and stepped through the house. Gladio stayed a few arms distance behind him. He noted how Prompto had his hands curled up in his sleeves.

Prompto sat on the far-left edge of the couch, so Gladio sat on the opposite side. He didn’t say anything, but he tried his best to look engaged, and not upset.

“I’m...I’m sorry I just left.”

That wasn't how he was expecting this conversation to start. “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing here.”

Prompto’s voice cracked. “But I could have just. Talked about it. Then. But I don't know. I just couldn’t.”

After a beat, Gladio inhaled deep. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”

Prompto worked at his sleeves. “So, you did do it on purpose? The whole. Using me...us.”

“I wrote what inspired me.” Gladio so badly wanted to close the distance between them. But instead he gripped one of the pillows.

Prompto grabbed his own pillow and clutched it to his chest. “I read it all.” Prompto looked down as he ran his hands over the pillow. “You literally just like. Wrote us.”

With a soft sigh Gladio put the pillow to the side. “You inspired me, Prompto. From that first day I saw you in the cafe. You were my muse.”

Prompto still didn’t make eye contact with him. “But that was all so. Personal.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it, before it went too far.”

Prompto worked his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. “What if I had said no?”

The question caught Gladio off guard. He didn’t have an answer, and he realized he had fucked up when Prompto finally lifted his head to look directly at Gladio.

“Prompto.” Gladio found he couldn’t speak. It was a question he wasn't ready to answer at all.

“I...I need to go.” Prompto tossed the pillow aside and uncurled himself to stand up.

“Hey.” Gladio rose, but before he could take another step Prompto turned around and headed for the door.

The sound of it shutting echoed in the empty house. Gladio growled and ran his hands through his hair. He felt stupid, so fucking stupid, because of course if Prompto had said no, had said to stop, Gladio would have listened. But he also wanted to share how happy Prompto had made him.

Gladio was always much better with writing down his feelings than speaking them.

Instead of dinner, Gladio changed into workout clothes and went into the garage to get some of his frustration out on the punching bag.

After nearly an hour, Gladio leaned against the wall and dropped his gloves. It was getting late, so he showered, and had just a small snack to tide him over until the morning. He collapsed into bed, and looked at his phone. He had texts and emails of folks talking about the book event the next day.

Gladio found he didn’t feel excited at all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis waved at the crowd but then focused on Gladio. “He’s not here.” 
> 
> “It's okay.” It wasn't but what else could he do. “I didn't expect him to be.”

Gladio had a very specific look he went for when it came to book signings. Ignis referred to it as his sophisticated bodyguard look.

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he tried to ignore how much he wished Prompto could be there to help him get ready. And to just. Be there in general. But tonight, Gladio had to focus on his job, and not on the shit he had gotten himself into.

Gladio arrived at the bookstore before the singing as usual - better to avoid seeing folks too soon just so that he didn’t get caught up in talking and then not do the prep work needed.

When he stepped through the doors, Ignis was already walking up to him. “Come, let’s get you signing.”

Not mentioning their conversation relieved Gladio. He didn't want to get sour just before he would have to play up excitement to a room of people. He was notoriously bad at hiding his emotions.

Noctis stood at the table where boxes of books were. “It’s your favorite time of the year.” He waved some permanent markers in the air. “Hope your wrists are ready.”

“You know it,” he sat behind the table as Ignis and Noctis got books lined up. They always offered folks the option to purchase a signed copy, or to have the chance to get a personalized signature and meet Gladio. He didn't mind either way - people buying his books were already so much more than Gladio ever expected so he appreciated no matter how they got it.

He focused on signing, the noises around him drowning out. With Ignis and Noctis there he didn't have to worry about people coming up to him. Between them and the bookstore staff, who knew them all well by now, he knew he would be guarded.

Once the books set aside for preorders for the event were done, Gladio got to signing additional books people could purchase there as well. He heard chatter picking up around him and risked a glance up. A crowd had started to gather at the barrier that kept folks from sitting in the chairs.

Gladio waved and smiled, much to the crowd’s excitement. His audience was mostly women, but there was also a smattering of men who read his work. Being a romance writer did put him into a niche segment of the market. But it was what he enjoyed.

He thought of Prompto. Of how much he wished he were there. Of how he wished he could have talked to him more about what exactly he meant to him and this story.

He had to quickly squash the feelings as Ignis made a signal that they would be letting everyone into the space to sit. They piled in, waving and taking photos already of Gladio. It was weird - this part of the job.

There was more chatter and Gladio knew what that was about - Noctis had stepped up next to him. He was well known for being the heir to his father's publishing business, but also as far as business royalty went Noctis was always respected and admired.

He had that stupid lazy good looks that drove people nuts.

Noctis waved at the crowd but then focused on Gladio. “He’s not here.”

“It's okay.” It wasn't but what else could he do. “I didn't expect him to be.”

Noctis looked like he was about to argue the point somehow, but instead kept his mouth shut probably because of the crowd. Gladio was grateful.

Noctis tapped on the table and straightened up. Waved, and disappeared to the side behind some shelves that had been blocked off as part of the “backstage” part of the event.

Then Ignis and Noctis stepped back out and everyone cheered.

It was showtime.

Gladio straightened his shoulders, and walked out to the front of the small crowd. He greeted everyone with a smile and a wave before sitting at the small table.

“Thanks everyone, for coming today. This book…” he folded his hands on the table and recalled the script Ignis had written for him.

“I’ve written a lot about romance blossoming in unexpected and fantastical settings - but this time I wanted to portray the kind of romance that…”

He cleared his throat and looked over the room as he adjusted the microphone on the small stand in front of him. “The kind of romance that surprises you with its easiness, that you suddenly don’t recall a time when you didn’t have it, and you feel like you’ll die without it. The kind of love worth fighting for.”

That wasn’t part of his script at all. Gladio kept his focus out in front of him to avoid the daggers he could feel Ignis staring into him.

“The setting of the story - Ancient Solheim, came to me when I was traveling with my family, visiting some of the ruins open to the public in Cleigne. Once I had the time and place, the characters just kinda...came to life.”

The crowd watched him, with attentive stares. Gladio felt more nervous than usual - he was used to not even having to think too much or worry at these things, this was very strange for him.

“Thanks again for your support - if you’ve been reading my books for a while or this is your first, I appreciate you choosing to spend some time in this world I’ve created.”

He nodded a few times, and the room erupted in applause. He smiled and waved, and the cheers died down.

“I’m sure you all have questions?” Hands went up throughout the rows of people.

Ignis took first pass at walking the mic to folks. He moved to a woman Gladio recognized, longtime fan and book signing attendee. “What was the hardest scene to write?”

“Ah, right to it huh?” That got a laugh from the group. “You might not know from looking at me, but writing the soft, gooey romance parts is easy. It’s action, or dialogue, or...conflict. That all takes a little more out of me. So, when I was writing _Ludos_ , it was those tense moments when Aurum and Tenebris fought that were the most...draining. I would say. But also, the most rewarding, when it’s finished.”

“Thank you!”

Gladio nodded. Ignis moved on to the next. He tried not to let his thoughts reflect on Prompto…

_Prompto giggled as he shimmied a little under Gladio._

_“What?” Gladio asked between peppering kisses along his collarbone._

_“You always say the most like...seriously romantic things.”_

_“Comes easy to me when I’m around you,”_

_“Whatever, you’re just trying out lines for your book.”_

_Gladio slid up Prompto’s neck. Prompto arched up into the touch and wrapped his arms and legs around Gladio as he resumed his slow rhythmic movement inside Prompto. His gasps and whispers of Gladio’s name were soon consumed by Gladio’s lips. When they parted, Prompto tilted his head back to expose his throat, and Gladio sucked at the skin under his jaw before whispering - “Just saying what I’m feeling.”_

_Prompto sucked in a breath and pulled Gladio closer with his legs._

Ignis had moved across the room to two girls who sat close, arms linked, the one about to speak clearly nervous but excited. “What did you learn while writing _Ludos_?”

He took a moment - at this point he knew what kind of questions he would get asked, and Ignis and his team always prepared a great doc of potential questions and suggested answers. In the fog of everything, Gladio had probably read the damned thing more than ever just because it offered a distraction to how much he missed Prompto.

“Not to rush through the quiet moments. In romance, it’s easy to just get to the good stuff,” a few folks in the room uttered quiet ‘oh yas’ that got a few laughs. Gladio forced a smile and hoped it looked genuine.

“The steamy stuff is great and all, but you want to show _why_ these characters love each other, especially if it’s meant to be more than a physical relationship. How do they spend their time together? Do they have pet peeves, or quirks, or little things they do that make the other person look at them a beat longer than before?”

He paused for a drink of water. “And to answer your question more specifically, I have written a lot of the steamy stuff. But this story I really had to stretch out some new muscles to show those moments, to give the characters those quiet times when they slowly were...falling in love with each other. And what they would do to fight to keep their love.”

 _Gladio pushed away from his desk with a frustrated sigh. Iggy’s edits were valid, but it didn’t mean it was_ easy _for him to make the changes. Gladio often wrote like he lived - big and forward and fast, going right for what he wanted to get to._

_Ignis wanted him to slow down. Gladio just had to figure out what that meant._

_His doorbell rang and he had to think for a second if he had ordered lunch, or had a package. But he didn’t think he had either, so he went to the door and was surprised to see Prompto standing there, a takeout bag in hand._

_“Hey…” Gladio stepped back to let him in, “thought you had work?”_

_“Photographer’s sick, so the studio’s closed.” Prompto leaned up to kiss Gladio after he’d shut the door. “Thought you could use some brain fuel.”_

_Gladio inhaled at the aroma wafting coming from the bags. “Did you bring ramen?”_

_Prompto wiggled his shoulders. “I did indeed.”_

_Gladio buried his head in the crook of Prompto’s neck. “You’re amazing, this is exactly what I needed.”_

_Prompto kissed his temple. “Does that mean you get a break?”_

_“Please,” they parted and made their way to the living room. Their habit had become sitting on the floor on pillows, eating at the coffee table while watching a show._

_“You get to pick, what do you want to drink?”_

_Gladio sat and blew air between his lips. “I made a batch of iced green tea yesterday,”_

_“Got it!” Prompto spun and headed to the kitchen._

_Gladio began to unpack the food, two sets of ramen, and a plate of ‘mystery meat’ sushi, one of their shared favorite comfort snacks. When Prompto walked back into the room, Gladio looked up at him, and as he sat beside, he got a worried look._

_“You okay?” Prompto set down their glasses._

_“Better than.” Gladio said._

_Prompto blushed a little, and grabbed his glass. “To us.”_

_Gladio did the same, and they clinked glasses together while holding eye contact. “To us.”_

Ignis made his way to a young looking’ guy who had a notepad out - probably a journalist. “Hey there, big fan! Question about your creative process. Does writing energize you, or does it wipe you out after?”

Gladio put on his best smolder. “You asking if I have good stamina?”

The room erupted in woops and whistles. Gladio laughed and waved his hands. “Sorry, had to do it.”

When the room quieted, he continued. “I gotta be honest, it depends. And I’m not saying that to sound wishy washy or avoid answering - it’s just how it is. Some days I’m just flying high, going fast, and when I come out of the fog, I feel like I could go running for miles.”

He took a small sip of water. “Other times, if it was a tough day, then ya I feel wiped. You want it to always be easy, but it’s not. But the times when it is, make it so you always try to hit that same high.”

_“Babe?” Prompto’s voice in the doorway of his office startled Gladio out of his thoughts._

_“Prompto?” He turned in his chair and looked at the clock on the wall. “Shit, I’m sorry, I was in the zone, I completely lost track of time.”_

_Prompto...didn’t even look mad though. Instead he leaned against the door, smiling at Gladio. “You writing ‘the good stuff’?”_

_Gladio laughed a little at that. “You caught me. Do we still have time to make it to the movie?”_

_“Ya, totally.”_

_“Okay, just. Gimme a sec.”_

_Prompto gave finger guns and vanished back into the hallway. Gladio quickly shut everything down, and headed out the room - but instead of finding Prompto at the front door…_

_“Babe?” Gladio shouted._

_“In here!” Prompto’s voice carried from the living room._

_When Gladio entered, Prompto was there curled up under his favorite blanket and with Gladio’s largest bowl full of popcorn._

_“What…”_

_“It’s movie night!”_

_“Ya but...You wanted to see that new action flick…”_

_Prompto lifted the blanket. “Or we can kinda watch a movie we know and eat popcorn and maybe get a little handsy.”_

_Gladio wiped a hand down his face. “Have you been reading my novels? You’re getting too smooth.”_

_Prompto only shrugged and patted the seat next to him._

_“Guess I should get into comfy pants.”_

_“Yay comfy pants!”_

Another guy was next, this one someone Gladio was pretty sure he had seen before. “Were Aurum and Tenebris inspired by real people?”

Gladio had been able to maintain his composure pretty well so far he thought, but this question was a punch to his gut. He thought about how Prompto had looked, when he came over and Gladio fucked things up even more. How upset he had been - Gladio regretted so much not talking to him before.

He cleared his throat when he realized he had been quiet for too long. “Every writer is inspired in some part by things around them. People, places, inspiration comes and goes a lot. You take it where you can.”

“For this book…” he tried to settle how his heartbeat raced. “I had a lot of things that inspired me. The location, from what I saw at the ruins. The roles - I put a large part of my own heart in it. And so, I hope that comes through.”

He hoped that was a good enough answer. He made eye contact with Ignis, but he didn’t give him the signal of ‘done’, not yet.

“So,” the person who had asked the last question spoke just as Ignis pulled away, “you’re saying you were inspired by someone you loved?”

Gladio sighed a little and he knew his face probably gave away more than he had wanted to. “I don’t want to say...too much. I just wanna leave it at what I said before, this is my heart on paper.”

_Prompto had wanted to do his reading in the living room while Gladio relaxed, but as predicted he had passed out, book on the edge of slipping out of his grasp and head resting on the back of the couch._

_Gladio turned the tv down to a low murmur and studied Prompto’s face. His long eyelashes, his freckles, the few moles that stood out among them. His lips, slightly parted._

_Gladio reached over and brushed a few strands of hair off Prompto’s forehead, his thumb trailing down his cheek._

_Prompto shifted and fluttered his eyes open. He smiled shyly. “Okay, you were right.”_

_“The couch is too comfortable, told you.”_

_Prompto hummed. He turned his head to kiss Gladio’s open palm, and Gladio’s breath caught. When their eyes met again, Gladio’s heart felt like it would burst._

_“Hey,” Gladio whispered and moved closer. A look of worry crossed over Prompto’s face, before Gladio leaned over and kissed him, slowly, gently._

_Gladio felt dizzy, but this, this was the moment. When they parted, noses just brushing, Gladio smiled._

_“I love you,”_

_Prompto’s eyes widened, and he tackled Gladio so he fell backwards in between whispers of ‘i love you too, I love you too.’_

She nodded and Ignis looked around the room. There were still several hands up in the air. Gladio got his emotions in check by closing his eyes and taking several long drinks of water.

“Alright, we have time for one more question before we do photos and hand out the books -” Ignis paused. Gladio opened his eyes - Ignis and Noctis were exchanging whispers. Noctis was off in an instant through the crowd and vanished behind some shelves. When Noctis appeared again, someone was with him.

It was Prompto.

Gladio almost stood up and ran to him. But he gripped the table and stayed still and tried not to let all the emotions running through him show on his face. He wondered how long Prompto had been there - had he heard the answers to all these questions? Gladio had answered everything truthfully, maybe he had fucked up again because he was still promoting this book that had Prompto so upset.

“Uh, hi. Hello,” Prompto spoke into the mic as Noctis held it in front of him. His voice shook a little. Gladio didn’t take his eyes off him.

“You talked a lot about uh. Love. And a love worth fighting for as the theme of this story.” Prompto paused and leaned away a little. Noctis seemed to say something encouraging.

Gladio held his breath.

“Have you ever experienced that?”

Gladio had been so focused on not breathing he didn't catch the train of thought. “What?”

Prompto tried to step away but Noctis grabbed his arm and pulled him back. By this time the rest of the room had started to turn in their chairs to look back at where Prompto and Noctis stood.

“Have you ever had a- a- l-love worth fighting for?”

The room went completely quiet and everyone looked back at Gladio, waiting for his answer. Gladio smiled. “Ya,” he looked at the stack of books beside him, “that's why I wrote this story.”

“Is it still? Worth fighting for?”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ignis straightening as if he was preparing for Gladio to do something foolish.

Which was smart of him because he was gonna.

Gladio stood up, walked around the table, and moved along the side. People had their phones out, filming him and he didn’t care.

Noctis and Prompto watched him with wide eyes. Noctis stepped away right as he approached and Prompto looked frozen.

“It is.” Gladio looked down at him.

Prompto stared back, lips slightly parted.

“Kiss him!” Noctis shouted and everyone in the room started to shout it as well when they realized what was going on.

Gladio focused on Prompto though, and when he nodded, Gladio hardly had to move before Prompto had stretched up to meet his lips with a soft kiss. Gladio wrapped his arms around Prompto and held him tight. People were cheering and clapping, and he knew this was being recorded but fuck it, he didn’t care. His only options were to kiss Prompto or break down crying with relief.

They pulled back, foreheads touching.

“Prompto I’m sorry, I was so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. I’m sorry I ghosted you. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I should have just talked to you.”

“Does that mean our apologies cancel each other out?”

Prompto poked his chest with a finger. “I think it just means; we keep fighting for this.”

Gladio studied his face, then nodded. “I’ll fight for you for the rest of my life, Prompto.”

“You’re such a romance writer,” Prompto smiled, before Gladio again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it to the end, thank you so much for reading! Would love to hear your thoughts. <3


End file.
